The Purple Fairy
by Lass Luna
Summary: Once upon a time, there was Henry Mills, the Truest Believer, finding Emma Swan, the Savior, hoping to reunite a broken family. This is not that time, this is not that place. This is the time of the Dark Swan hoping to reunite the family of her little thief with the help of her Deckhand. But what can a Deckhand do against Sorcerers, Evil Queens, and a gang of ...cheery robbers?
1. Chapter 1

**Attention. This is a Sequel to my previous Story _Freeing the Witch_.**

 **While I tried to explain any reference to the first I used, but I could have easily missed something due to the hours I've spent on this.**

 **There is no Beta.**

 **I STRONGLY recommend reading the first segment before you read this.**

 **This is a take on the AU introduced in 4x22/23.**

 **I do not own Once. I just own the computer I write this on.**

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Chapter 1:

Darkness Sneaks Up on You

She'll never forget the first time she met Killian Jones.

He was a coward, looking at her like she was going to snap his head off; he was positively _shaking_ with fear as he unlocked her chains at the tower her mother, Queen Snow had locked her in. She'll admit it, she loved it. She always did love to instill fear in the common folk. It made her feel good, feel powerful, it fed the darkness and she loved it.

At that point, Emma Swan thought she knew people, thought she could tell what a person were capable of with just a glance, so what did she care for their feelings, for their emotions, for their lives. What did she care for the people who feared her for living, for existing? What did she care for any of them? So Emma did the thing they expected of her. They saw her as a demon, so she acted like it.

They were just her tools to get what she wanted. And Emma Swan wanted everything.

So when Emma saw him enter her cell, watch her from a safe distance away, she saw what she'd always seen. She saw a man, a hero who came to see the Dark Princess, a hero who wasn't here to save her, but enslave her. Anyone who had ever appeared before her had wanted fame, fortune, or power. Emma hated the very thought of being used. She was ready to rip out his heart, take him for a spin or two before killing him.

(He was a cute little thing after all)

Because people who came for her, only saw her as a tool, so why not treat them the same way? Slowly but surely, people became only tools for the Dark One.

But then he did something funny.

Killian Jones, the coward, saved her, the Dark One. The Dark Swan.

He didn't need to, he could have let her die multiple times during their adventure at sea, but he didn't. He saved her.

It was then, in that moment, in that moment when Killian sacrificed a part of himself for her, when he had killed someone, for her, Emma saw something familiar in the depth of his too blue eyes.

 _She saw how broken he was._

"You alright love?" He called, snapping her out of her own head.

Killian Jones was now clad in leather rather than the dingy rags of that day. He stood tall rather than hunched over in fear. His eyes blazed with adventure, rather than clouded with self-loathing. He was _smiling_ , smiling at _her_.

 _She saw how he was still able to shine with a light that left her enamored._

Emma smiled back, during there last days of the trip back to land, Killian had seemed darker, hollow even, after ending a man's life. She had felt guilt before, but seeing Killian so haunted, had changed her too. She wanted nothing more than to take all his pain away, wanted to see that light in his eyes again.

And she did. She watched him conquer his demons, watched him become her hero. Now, Killian Jones, the coward, was practically glowing, glowing with happiness, with strength, it was beautiful.

It may have had something to do with their little confession. He told her how he had melted Anna by saving her, that his feelings for her were enough to melt a frozen heart. It reaffirmed to both of them that this was real. He didn't say the words, but Emma didn't need them, didn't want them yet.

Neither of them were ready for those types of words anyway, despite how they were feeling, how she was feeling. Those types of eternal commitments were too much too fast, no, Emma was enjoying just taking it a day at a time with someone she trusted to watch her back, to keep her from giving into her primal instincts. He was keeping her Emma. She had been nothing more than the Dark Swan for years, but now, it was nice being Emma. Emma Swan.

"Just thinking." She said easily, pulling herself over a fallen tree, flashing him a mischievous grin as his gaze lingered, tracing her face then going lower.

Just days ago he could barely look at without feeling flushed, unsure of himself, embarrassed by his own accidental innuendo. He had been a man constantly put down by the people around him, thinking himself as undeserving of any sort of affection. Now, he stood, looking at her, no fear in his eyes. He knew exactly what she wanted. She wanted him, wanted him besides her, giving her the support, she needed his banter, his stubbornness to keep her from doing something she'd regret. She needed her Sailor to keep her from veering off course.

And the pirate damn well knew it. It was like his entire outlook on life had shifted.

"Guys, _please_ , stop doing that!" Groaned a voice, dressed in dark colors, a mop of shaggy hair on his head, he came up on her other side, sliding past Killian. He stood much shorter than the man due to his youth.

"Doing what lad?" Killian asked. The boy rolled his eyes.

"Giving each other those _looks_ , if you want to kiss or stuff just, _do it_ already." Pink flushed up on Kilian's face to match her own as the sailor shifted uncomfortably, practically a flashback to a time before, a time when she made his face flush because she could.

It appeared he had inherited the ability to bring out that side of him, the timid-ness that she found adorable.

She also hoped her kid, Henry, was also smart enough to give Killian a chance.

Emma had learned that it might just be worth it.

Henry had had the audacity to venture into Killian's port and practically forced him to go after her. It had been a life or death choice for him to get her out of that place, but it had been Killian's choice to save her life and, while they both didn't know it, the life of her son.

While on a quest to rescue a the Snow Queen, Ingrid from captivity, Emma had run into a Jabberwocky. Jabberwockies had the ability to turn your dark thoughts, your painful memories, your inner most scars into weapons. They preyed on your insecurities, your terror fed them. No one had more darkness in them than the Dark One. She had been helpless as it reached into her mind, tearing away her walls and looking at her inner most secret.

And what was her inner most secret? Her hidden son that no one knew about. Only three people knew of Henry's relation to her.

Emma glanced at Killian, _four,_ She amended. He had figured it out, but she didn't care. Emma trusted him. She trusted him because while the jabberwocky had been torturing her, (after it had finished with him of course) Killian had been given a choice. He was given the choice between fame, fortune, power, everything he had ever wanted, or her.

And he had done what no one else had done. _Killian had chosen her._

"Lad, I'm a gentleman, and your mother is a lady." Killian replied evenly. "I have to court her properly." She couldn't help blush herself at the look he was giving her. He didn't seem capable of hiding his feelings for her. The way he was just _looking_ at her, like she was the moon and stars.

It was glorious.

Henry gave another eye roll. " _Please_ , what does a _pirate_ know about being _proper_?" He drawled. "It's all about pillaging and plundering anyway."

Emma nearly choked in embarrassment. "What the hell Henry?!" She snapped. She knew he was getting into his rebellious phase, talking back to both his mothers, but really? Was it always this bad? Emma really needed to give him a talking to about this.

"Good form dictates that a woman is supposed to be cherished and respected, and that means to treat them the right way" He told the boy pointedly. He spoke like it was a familiar lesson he had learned and repeated several times. "And not 'pillage' and 'plunder' on the first date." He said sternly. "Has no one taught you good form yet lad?"

Henry crossed his arms. "Why do _I_ need good form? Do I l _ook_ like some knight in shining armor? All that stuff is stupid." He responded boldly. She could see the shock evident in Killian's face as he looked at her for permission. He didn't want to overstep.

"Henry. Be nice. I _like_ this one alright?" She reminded him gently.

"And I liked Graham." He shot back. Her stern look faltered.

Graham…he had been the paternal influence in her kid when he was younger, she knew that his loss had been hard for her kid, it had been hard for her too. "He was cool. He taught me how to throw knives and stuff." He said like _that_ explained everything.

She knew that it didn't, not really. She knew that it was also the fact that Graham had been there to walk him to his mother's home when their spontaneous operation got interrupted by a dwarf attack. She knew it was all the man to man talks Graham always gave him. She knew it was the way Graham died, in front of him, as they were both powerless to stop it.

Emma groaned. "As effective as those skills may be, proper manners and form will do you good in the long haul lad." Killian said carefully. "Perhaps I can show you?"

Henry grumbled back at him, turning away. "No. Sorry, not interested. Mom, can you keep him from talking to me?" She said looking at her. "Why is he even here? It isn't like we're on a boat and we need his knowledge of sailing or anything." He remarks sharply.

He expected her to hold Killian's heart, just like she had done for the other men in their life. He hadn't expected for there to be an exception, that someone could be there, helping them because they wanted to. He hadn't expected Killian.

(Another thing they shared, their mistrust of the world.)

She wasn't sure if this was amusing or terrifying. Emma didn't want him to turn out like her, she had made her choices so he could have a good life, and know that she wouldn't give up on him. So that he could be what she never could be. Good.

She looked at the triumphant glare he gave Kilian, the way her sailor was looking between them confused. Emma was glad he didn't understand, that meant she didn't have to tell him about Graham, not yet. She knew she would, just as she had faith that he would tell her what really happened with Liam and Milah.

Liam his lost brother, and Milah his dead first love.

Emma crossed her arms. "Henry! That is no way to talk to Killian, you don't have to like him, but you do have to respect him, understood?" She demanded. He nodded, surprised by her defense of the man. He turned and marched off in a pout.

"I'm sorry love, I didn't mean to over step." He apologized as she followed behind her kid with a sigh. "It just surprised me how…" He searched for the word, probably trying to find one that wouldn't offend her.

"Rude? Arrogant? Crass? A total brat?" She supplied.

"Open he is with his observations." Killian chose instead, smiling nervously. "I don't want to do anything that will make your boy uncomfortable."

Emma smiled. "Thank you, but please, go right ahead, if anyone can get through to that kid it might as well be you, besides, you've…uh, made quite the impression on his mother." She said sneakily.

It made him blush. She _loved_ it.

"Are you going to tell me where we are going? I believe the castle is in the other direction, and these woods are dangerous this time of the year." He reminded her, changing the subject.

Emma rolled her eyes. What kind of danger should she face? She was _the Dark One_ , the forest should be scared of _her_. She could burn it down with a flick of her wrist.

 _If she tripped on one more root that was exactly what she was going to do_.

"I want to see where Henry's mother was taken so I can see what we're dealing with; she must have used some powerful magic to capture them." Emma explained. "And not her own, she probably made a deal with another wizard and the thing about my mother is that she isn't the best at thinking through her deals so I might be able to negotiate with them. I might be able to convince them to tell me how they did it. It does nothing if we rescue them just for them to be caught again." She explained.

While Henry's adoptive mother had strong magic herself, it was really her mother, Henry's adoptive Grandmother that really held the magic; it was why Emma had chosen _this_ family to raise her son. She knew that she couldn't give him the stable life he needed and she knew that they could and would protect him to their last breath. Emma was just lucky that they let her come in when she could, to be a part of his life.

Snow had never been able to take the older woman down before, and it wasn't due to lack of trying. Snow was too narrow-minded to take down the more experienced sorceress.

 _It must have been that sister of theirs, long lost and always jealous_.

"What do you expect to find?" Killian asked slowly. "You can tell me Swan, I see that it has you nervous."

"Something is bothering me." She admitted. "With Henry, this wasn't the first time I was caught, but the first time he sent someone after me, I know he was scared and desperate, but how could he have picked just the right person to rescue me? No one has ever dared to do it for as long as I've lived, yet he was able to find you, and you did it." She explained. "I just…I just know that there is something he isn't telling me…"

Killian nods in agreement.

"I find sometimes you should just chalk it up to fate, easier to comprehend than dumb luck." He said cheekily. "But I see what you mean. Perhaps you should ask the lad while I'm not around? He doesn't seem to like me…"

Emma smiles weakly, debating whether she should tell him the real reason. But then Emma feels it.

"Henry, get back here." She said sternly, noticing how far her kid was getting.

It worried her. Emma could hear things moving in sync all around them, they were watching, how had she not realized it until now? How had she not realized that they were being followed?! She grabbed onto Killian's wrist, wanting to keep him close, now all she needed was Henry.

"Killian, you said you heard that these forests were dangerous, why? What do you know?"

Henry was too far away, they needed to catch up. They were fast walking through the forest, she could practically feel them closing in on them.

"A story told to me, I have no way of knowing how accurate it may be, but I tend to veer on the side of caution." He said simply. "About a gang of robbers who are obsessed with magic."

Emma didn't like that, no, not one bit.

"Dark One!" Henry called suddenly, a strangled gasp.

She roared in rage, as they both charged forward.

 _Whoever was hunting them was going to burn!_

"Who goes there!" She calls charging into the clearing, feet scorching the earth as she passes. She feels Killian rip his hand from hers but she doesn't care. Her son cried out to her and she was damn well sure she was going to answer.

"Well well, it looks like we got a real prize today!" Shouted a voice.

Emma looked over across the clearing at the mad, and if her blood wasn't boiling before, it sure as hell was now. There stood a tall man, dark skin, lifting her baby by the hair with a blade at his throat.

He was threatening her son.

She was going to _skin him alive_.

"Mate, we don't want any trouble here, just give us the boy, and we'll be on our way." Killian started, hand out trying to be the voice of reason.

 _Tell him to stay out of this, this is your son, you don't want peace, you want blood._

"Now, why would I agree to that?" The man snarled, tightening his grip. "Now that I have a bargaining chip with the Dark One."

 _Show him the use of a bargaining chip when you don't have a spleen, rip out his heart, make him slaughter his own family, kill him._

"You don't know what you're talking about." She snarled. "Let him go and your death will be swift." She was ready to burn this whole forest to the ground. The man didn't even flinch. Killian rushed in between, hands outstretched.

"Swan, relax, I'm sure we can all come to a reasonable conclusion yes? Since you know who she is, you know that this is probably going to end up with your head on a spike yes?"

 _Kill them both._

"So what do you want?" He continued.

The man's mouth curled into a smirk. "The Dark One to give me the power to win the woman I love." She saw Henry roll his eyes.

"Mate, there are rules to magic, not possible, so just let the boy go." Killian said edging closer to the man.

He backed up tightening his hold, it made Henry cringe.

"I'm not a patient woman." She snarled. "You have till the count of ten." She could see the panic in Killian, in Henry too. They wanted her to calm down, she had to calm down, think rationally.

"Touch me and you're going to watch this brat die in front of you" The man dared.

Emma let out an angry roar, ready to blast the man to pieces.

"Swan-" But she didn't care. The rage was too great; she swiped her hand, throwing Killian aside roughly.

"You'll be dead before you can touch him."

But then suddenly there was a piercing sound, a snap. The next second there was a pain in her shoulder, forcing her back. She reached for it finding-

"An arrow?"


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

What I'm not Ok with

Killian watched as anger slowly consumed Swan.

 _No, not slowly._

The second she heard her son in peril, she transformed from the lovable woman he'd gotten to know, to this rage filled _creature._ For the first time, he realized exactly who she was, he saw the darkness.

When he first met her, when he rescued her from the tower her mother had locked her up in, she was darkness, but she took care of him, she laughed at his timid-ness, bound his injury and poked fun at him. But now he saw something else, something void of the lustful sorceress, void of the way she grinned as she raided the liquor cabinet of the captain's ship.

Killian watched it consume her, snuff out her light within seconds.

The darkness burned so brightly, that he pulled away instinctively, feeling his wrist, the wrist she was holding, burn. The magic physically burned him.

In an instant he felt his terror, the terror of that first day return.

When he first found her, he had been a silly deckhand, one who had gone on an ill-advised rescue mission. He had been put up to it by Henry, Emma's 14 year old son. He had gone along with it in order to keep his life as long with get her help with his lifelong goal, to reach Neverland and rescue his trapped brother.

Unfortunately, due to some magic, Killian had realized that someone had locked away certain memories in his head, memories that were slowly returning. The main memory Killian had been realizing was hearing his brother, the man who raised him, had been given a deal, that the price for returning to his life of piracy, he'd need to trade the life of someone he valued. Liam had traded away Killian's life in his place, so when Killian turned 30 years old, he'd die.

He hated himself for this sudden fear of Emma. He hadn't been scared if her before, he knew that she wouldn't hurt him, but he couldn't help it. After spending 15 years tortured and terrified on a daily basis by his former captain, he couldn't help falling back into old patterns.

 _She would never hurt me on purpose._ He told himself.

But the burn on his arm still stung, still reminded him of the tales he knew of her. For a moment he questioned his feelings. He feared that he was being blinded by them, that they were preventing him from seeing just how dangerous Emma could be.

But then Killian saw the man holding her son, knife at his throat, remembering a similar situation himself. He buried his emotions in an instant jumping in front, trying to diffuse the situation. It wouldn't help to have Emma kill the man, or risk harming Henry.

However, Emma didn't seem too welcoming to the idea. She tolerated it at first, but he could feel the dark magic that had burned his skin cause the pain to flare. It was like the burn was responding to her dark magic. Another hint to Emma's displeasure was when Emma decided to kill their attacker. She tossed him aside and out of her way, like he was a burden, like he was a nuisance.

It hurt, he has to admit. More than just physically. Killian didn't want to be a burden, he wanted his word to mean something. He rose to get back there, to say something to her, to stop her from doing something rash when he saw it, no more of a glimmer through the trees.

He saw an arrow shoot through the air to land in Emma's right shoulder. He forced himself to his feet, watching and praying that the darkness would fade as Emma returned and she realized how bloody reckless she was being.

"An arrow?" She questioned. "Who the hell just shot me with an arrow!" She roared, making her dark aura brighter as she tore the wooden weapon from her flesh, it caught fire in her hand, burning to nothing. He flinched.

"Sydney! What do you think you're doing?" Someone snapped venturing from the shadows. "Didn't I tell you not to confront the Dark One? To just watch and make sure she didn't see us as a threat?" It was a female voice, face shrouded by a cloak. "What part of that did you take to mean kidnap one of her followers?"

Emma laughed darkly.

"I take it you're the woman he's desperate enough to cross me in order to impress?" She sneered. She eyed the woman knowingly. "I don't see the big deal." She responded with a cruel smirk.

The figure straightened, latching another arrow in her bow. "Let the boy go Syd," She ordered, swinging around, much to their surprise, aim landing on her supposed ally. "Or the next one goes through _your_ shoulder. You know I'll do it." She warned. From Killian's perspective, he was pretty sure the woman meant business.

Although what type of woman would cripple their own ally was beyond Killian.

He saw the man pale as his hold slackened before it eventually dropped and Henry bolted away to stand besides Emma, just far enough not to be hit by the black energy. He must already know how out of control she could be when angered.

Killian assumed he'd have to learn that too.

"I should kill you." She snarled as she turned from the man to the woman, with a swipe of her hand, they were both on the ground. "I should burn this whole forest to the ground." He stood venturing closer, watching as she looked very intent on committing cold blooded murder.

Her hands glowed brightly with black flames, eyes sparkling with twisted merriment

 _She was going to kill them._

That was something he was not ok with.

"Swan!" He called, grabbing her wrist and turning her around, ignoring the searing pain in his palm, hoping Swan didn't hear how his palm was hissing. "That's enough." He challenged. "We have places to go yes? Were we not in a rush?"

He knew better then to obviously stand against her, making it look like these strangers weren't worth it seemed like the better idea.

She pulled away, glaring hotly at him turning her back on them. She took a moment, meeting his eye evenly. "Did I ask you to speak deckhand?" She hissed, moving to grip his neck tightly. He kept his gaze level, barely flinching at the pain in his throat.

"He saved your lives robbers, I'd rather not waste my time with you or your cheery friends. But do _not_ cross me again." She said, not bothering to look at them, eyes on him the entire time.

The woman nodded, revealing a bit of her dark hair as she went to get the man onto his feet.

"Of course Dark One, my apologies." She stuttered as they disappeared into the forest. He waited for them to be out of sight before pushing Emma's touch away. He touched the raw skin, not burned but reddened, rubbing it until the pain started to fade.

He watched her closely as she did, hoping that her darkness would fade, that things would go back to how they were, but then Emma turned to him, her anger now pointed right at him.

"How dare you question me in front of them!" She demanded. "Now they think that you are something to me, now they think that you can control me! That is something I am not ok with." She seethed. Killian watched as Henry stepped back, eyeing his mother nervously. He seemed familiar with this version of his mother.

He however was not, but that didn't stop him.

"You were going to kill them." He reminded her, refusing to back down for this, he'd let her have a lot from him, but killing was where Killian Jones drew the line. "And that is something _I'm_ not ok with." He shot.

She took a breath, calming down a fraction. Emma understood that, she understood his refusal with ending a life. She had seen what it had turned him into after he killed Hans.

Hans had abducted Ingrid, Swan's sort of sister Elsa's aunt and during the struggle to rescue her, they had confronted a Jabberwocky, a demon that fed on a person's fears. It had turned its attention to Emma and he had killed Hans in order to get it to stop.

Killian had never killed anyone before. He still had nightmares about it, it had been only a few days ago after all. He started to close off, became angry and guilt ridden, it was only after he realized that he needed to live for Emma that he eventually got past it. At least, he got past it as much as anyone was capable of getting past stabbing another living being over and over again until they stopped breathing.

"Killian…" She sighed. "I'm the Dark One." She said as if he could forget. "A part of that, a big part of that power is my _reputation_. The fear, the chaos, I need it. It's what keeps me safe, keeps those important to me safe." She said cupping his cheek. He was thankful he could touch her again; thankful she seemed to be calming down.

"Swan-" but he didn't know what to say, he didn't know what his place in her life was to say or judge anything, to be angry with how she had just treated him. Thankfully he didn't need to.

"Ugg. Come on, let's go!" Henry whined. "We've wasted enough time!"

She turned her attention back to her boy, yelling at him for venturing too far away, and about the cut on his neck from where the man, Sid, had pressed the knife too deep. She wasted no time to heal the injury and make him promise not to worry her like that again. Henry just rolled his eyes, crossed his arms, turning away.

"You don't have to lose your temper like that." He snapped. "I'm not a little kid." Before he proceeded forward, and Emma just sighed in defeat. She turned to him with a smile, extending her hand.

"That kid," She sighed before looking at him. "Coming?" Killian nodded, taking hers with his right hand, keeping his burned palm and wrist safely hidden in his pocket.

"Of course Swan." They didn't need to talk about the darkness, not yet. He just wanted to enjoy the quiet moment. Wanted to hold her hand and just exist.

It didn't take long before the two stopped at a certain tree, marked with a star. Henry went to it, touching it gently before continuing forward.

Killian blinked as he vanished before his eyes. He approached the spot the boy once stood, looking around, but it appeared as if he had completely disappeared from view. He turned back to Swan, seeing how unconcerned she was.

"It's the illusion I placed on the house. You have to stay here." She told him cheerily, probably getting a real kick out of his confusion. "There is no point in adjusting the portal for you; it's useless now, so just get some firewood or something hmm? It'll get dark soon and Henry is exhausted." She explained softly. She reached up kissing him gently.

Even when he was mad at her, she was still a hell of a kisser.

"Ok." He replied. "I'll wait here."

She smiled then disappeared as well.

"We have all the time in the world." He muttered darkly. "Unless a monster comes and kills me or I turn 30 and the bloody demon child comes for my soul." Killian laughed as he said the words aloud. It seemed funnier that way.

He waited awhile, fire burning brightly. It gave him some time to think about Swan. He cared deeply for her, but he had to admit her being the Dark One hadn't meant anything to him before, but now, now he had some serious thinking to do.

" _It's all a part of the manipulation."_ Elsa's words from days ago, the ice queen had been residing on the Jolly on the way home, she had watched much of their interaction, plus she knew Swan, knew her better than anyone. She thought that Emma didn't really care for him.

He had refuted the thoughts at the time, but now…

What if she was right? What if he was just here for her bloody entertainment? Killian had deep feelings for the lass, and believed firmly that she had them as well.

But the burn on his hand still pained him, it made him nervous. It made him doubtful.

"Excuse me?" Asked a voice. "You're the man that is traveling with the Dark One correct?" Asked a voice, he jumped reaching for his sword but then he felt a cold point in his neck. He recognized it easily as an arrow, so he dared not move a muscle.

"I don't know what you're talking about lass." He replied calmly. "I'm just a humble black smith." He lied.

"Sit." She ordered coldly, and he did so, feeling how the arrow did not move. "You saved me and my friend earlier." She said smoothly. "Don't try and deny it, I see where the Dark One burned your neck. I need information and you seem in the perfect position to give it."

Killian didn't respond right away, giving a sigh, trying not to look worried.

"You do know that if she catches you with a weapon by another of her servants, she will kill you and there will be nothing I can do about it." He added a chuckle. "Nothing I'd even want to do about it. I don't like to see her kill, but you and your people seem to be just asking for trouble"

She pressed the tip deeper, he hissed as he felt it break the skin.

"Is she working with her?" The woman snapped. "The Queen?"

Killian laughed at the thought. "She wants the Queen's head on a platter, lass, so I'd say no." All Emma had done so far was complain about the dreaded Queen. How she had ruined her own daughter for the purpose of power.

He could feel her frown at his attempt at humor. "What about the sorcerer?"

He shrugged. "I don't know that name, she's never mentioned it." He felt her relax a bit.

"Listen to me, you and the boy are in danger, magic is dangerous it's addictive, the longer you spend with her, the harder it'll be to get away." She said softly, almost as if she cared. "Where does she keep your heart? Do you know? Can you say?"

He moved his hand over his heart. "Sorry lass, I'm here by my own free will." He informed her. "As is the boy, if you'd like to rescue someone, how about a little information from you as well?"

The arrow pulled away a fraction, but she didn't reply. He could still feel its presence.

"The Queen's men were here maybe a month ago?"

Silence.

"We're tracking them at the moment, where did they go? Did your people notice anything odd about them?"

More silence.

"Come on lass? Do a man a favor? We're trying to find the boy's mother, nothing nefarious."

A sigh.

"She started to head towards her palace but then one of the carriages backed off and headed to the summer palace. There was magic, strong stuff from it. You should keep away, you seem like a good man so I don't know why you'd stay with her." Running, Killian turned around and saw empty space and heard her frantic footsteps.

There on the ground was an arrow with dark purple feathers. He took it and placed it in his bag.

He never knew when he might need it.

* * *

Not my favorite chapter ever, but necessary for summary to the new readers, and just refresher. I hope it wasn't too confusing.

Only a month left before 5B! So excited!

Guest Reviews:

andria: You'll be happy to see that this chapter addressed all your concerns. :)

~Luna


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3:

A Gentleman

Something was off with Killian, since the little incident with the robbers, he's been distant, lost in thought, he still held her, still went with them, but he seemed cold through it all, almost as if he wasn't sure if he wanted to kiss her or push her away and bolt.

 _He'll get over whatever is bothering him._ She reasoned. He'd been through a lot in these last few days, so it was no wonder he wasn't normal, or whatever normal was for him. They still had a lot of things to figure out, and one of those things was figuring out what normal would be for them.

But now wasn't the time for that, now was the time to find her friend.

Her friend, who was in all ways that mattered, was Henry's mother. Emma just gave birth to him, but her friend, she raised the amazing boy before her, cared for every runny nose, dealt with every tantrum, every bad dream. Emma knew she'd picked right with how brave her little prince was, just like his mothers.

The two of them went through the home, a small cabin that had been the perfect place to raise a child.

 _"Walls"_

 _Emma had wanted a castle, with tall walls and gates, perfect with keeping out trespassers should they break the enchantment._

 _"A cabin." The elder woman insisted, a hand on Emma's shoulder, a gentle smile on her face. They were both watching the same sight. They were both watching an infant Henry in his new mother's arms, a yellow baby blanket with his name stitched on the outside. His tiny fist grabbing for stands of straight dark hair from her, his adoptive mother. It practically tore her up inside, but Emma couldn't stop watching._

 _"Walls may keep out pain, but they keep out love too. You gave Henry to my daughter and I to raise. You gave him to us because you didn't want him raised like you were." She reminded Emma. "We need something warm and simple. A cabin."_

 _Emma agreed._

It was obvious who was right now, the cabin was in absolute ruin. It was obvious that serious magic had been flying, the earth was scorched, shelves knocked over, things crushed, sword swings embedded in the wall.

Her mother, the queen, had stolen the mother and daughter pair out from their home, leaving all else to ruin. Despite their powerful magic, despite all the precautions Emma had taken through the years, to protect her son's family. She stayed away for years of his young life, only returning when drawing the conclusion between the pair was near impossible! She did it all for this? She did it to keep Henry from hurting, but looking at him now, she knew she had failed.

She could see the pain in Henry that he tried to hide, the way he bent to look at a mass of broken glass; it was obvious he knew what it used to be, while Emma was clueless. He thought she didn't notice him picking up keepsakes as he went a little sleight of hand. Henry didn't like being sentimental, but he was.

Just like her.

She saw her boy whipping the tears from his eyes. She sometimes forgot how young he was. This was supposed to be a safe place for him. He wasn't supposed to lose it so violently. She made a promise in this instance to do whatever it took to get his family back together.

 _His family, the one that didn't include her._

 _And it starts here._ She touched the wooden walls, feeling the magic she herself had embedded in its frame, she felt her friend's magic, weak and broken but still there. She searched for her own magical charms, but they were gone, whipped away clean. It was just as she feared, another magic had taken its place. Something that had everything she wasn't. It was unmistakable.

"I know why the seal broke." She voiced aloud, wanting to make sure that she wasn't mistaken, she turned to the grieving boy curiously. "Henry, tell me, what do you remember about this day?" She asked her son, he kept his back facing her.

"I remember eating breakfast; I was arguing mom over how the girl in the village had a crush on me. Mom thought I should be nicer to her…" He started; Emma pulled him in close, smoothing his hair down, but he shook off her touch. "Then Grandma said that Mom and I had to get out of here; that someone had broken through, she'd hold them off for as long as she could. Mom started to take me but when we started running, something stopped her, a man with a golden sword hit her in the leg." He explained.

Damn it. Emma wanted to be wrong. She wanted it to be anyone but _him_.

She'd never met him, but knew of his magic, his reputation.

"A golden sword?" She pressed he nodded.

"She told me to run and I did. I ran and ran, hid in the woods until night fall. Then I went back. They were gone." He turned back towards me. "Why? What's so important about a golden sword?"

She wanted to laugh. _Everything_ was significant about the golden sword. But it was ok if Henry didn't know that, it wasn't exactly common knowledge, it was more like… _Dark One_ knowledge, no Dark One _legend_. It was her opposite in every way.

She could practically hear the Dark One voices screaming at her to seek him out and kill him, rid them of their eternal foe.

"It means that we have a way to figure out what the Queen is planning, what she wanted your family for. Come on; let's go back to where Killian made camp. We'll head out at first light." She explained with a hand on Henry's shoulder. He tried to complain but he gave a loud and tired yawn before crossing his arms and muttering unhappily.

"Mom, please, we can do this by ourselves, why bring your new boyfriend?" Henry groaned.

"He's not my new boyfriend." She said with a sigh. "But he's important to me. He wants to help, truly." She explained.

Henry rolled his eyes, but left the matter at that.

They passed through the barrier just in time to see Killian roasting something on some sticks. She didn't really care for caught prey so she let Henry and Killian split her portion. It wasn't like she needed to eat anyway.

"What's the plan for tomorrow?" Killian asked, eyes on his meal. She made note of the lack in endearment in his sentence. She actually quite liked when he called her love.

"There's a man in a village nearby, a sorcerer, he was the one who broke the charm, we need to talk to him, convince him to cut his allegiances with the Queen." She explained. He blinked at her in confusion, so Emma sighed and figured that she might as well give him a magic lesson.

Emma picked up a stick drawing a star on the ground. "The charm works like this, imagine this is Henry's home, right smack in the middle of the forest." She drew a circle around it. "One layer of magic keeps it hidden from sight, makes you walk right through it, as if it isn't even there." She explained. "But if you had magic, you could probably feel the glamour spell, perhaps attempt to break it. This is the result of Henry's grandmother's magic, it's not as pure as mine, but its special, a breed of its own. Only blood magic, or extremely powerful similar magic can break it."

That was where Henry's jealous aunt came in, always so jealous of the magic her younger sister had. It made her sick with rage at the life she'd thrown away for petty revenge.

"But when you add in my magic." Instead of drawing another circle, she intertwined her magic with the circle. "You'd need to be able to break them both." She insisted. "It couldn't be done. Only equal and opposite magic can penetrate mine." She insisted. "We need to find the Sorcerer, cause of this equal and opposite magic, it's only a few days walk from here." Killian looked up.

"A sorcerer? I thought-"

Emma shrugged. "Magic can only be inherited by the female line, but it can be acquired by any male." She replied, knowing his question already.

"I'm guessing his magic is of the light variety?" He said simply, dryly even. "I recall you mentioning that Ingrid's light magic could harm you as well." It made her flinch as his tone caught her off guard.

"Yeah? So what?!" She exclaimed, standing up. Who did he think he was questioning her about magic? It was her specialty after all!

Killian didn't flinch, but he brought his eyes to her face meeting her harsh gaze with his own.

"You can't just go in there blindly. You need a plan Swan." He replied, getting to his feet as well She let out a low growl, Emma didn't like how dark that sounded, how it seemed to be edging towards sounding like an order.

Emma didn't like orders.

"Or what?" She dared, inching towards him. He flinched slightly, but kept his gaze level.

"You'll get your boy and I killed." It was brutally honest, so brutally honest that Emma felt his words suck the fire right out of her. He didn't budge, his own anger flaring intensely.

"Killian…" She said softly. But he didn't calm down, especially not when she reached for his hand. He pulled away sharply, giving her his back

 _What the hell is up with you Killian?_ She questioned. He looked back at her uncertainly, before muttering something about going to get fire wood.

Emma knew a convenient excuse when she heard one.

"Seriously Mom? How did he survive this long?" Henry droned. "Did the seas really have such a calming effect on you that he didn't even realize never to get you angry?" He bit into his meat hungrily. "And how did he get you to calm down so quickly? And storming off? Its hilarious when you can just order him back."

Emma chuckled. "Henry, I don't have his heart. He gets me angry because he doesn't want me to push him around, he can calm me because he isn't afraid like the others." She explains.

Henry rolls his eyes. "It's ok if you have his heart, honest, I don't care."

But he does care, she knows it.

"I promise you Henry, he is in control of his own actions."

Her son didn't believe her, he just threw out the parts of his meal he didn't want to eat. "You should go find him then. He'll probably hurt himself out there." Henry snickered.

Emma laughed, he probably would. She stood up and followed the crumbled branches, soon hearing his muttered cursing. He was talking to himself. Emma rolled her eyes.

 _"Damn it Milah!"_ He shouted. She stopped at that name, his first love. " _How in the world were you able to do this so easily?"_ Emma hesitated, wondering if she had a place in his thoughts when he was thinking about her.

She peered closer, seeing him with half a bottle of rum and a bandage tied around his wrist and hand. She rolled his eyes, remembering what Killian had told her of Milah, she was a healer in her seaside village and he was thinking of her because he was currently trying to get to the back of his neck, but was having trouble. She listened to his string of increasingly violent curses as she approached.

"Killian?" She said softly, coming closer. He jumped in surprise, tipping the bottle over. He cursed some more as he tried to pick it back up.

"Swan." He said in a controlled voice before sighing. "My apologies on rushing off like that, just trying to cool down, I apologize for my temper lately, I don't know what's come over me…"

She chuckled, telling him to turn around so she could see what he was trying to patch up. He hesitated, but he could tell that she wasn't taking no for an answer. "Henry told me I should come after you, said you'd probably hurt yourself out here all by your lonesome."

He didn't respond, barely flinched as she touched the nick in his neck with the alcohol and put a small cloth over it, The cut wasn't deep, but it was bleeding more than expected.

"What exactly did you do out here to hurt yourself?" She asked casually.

He didn't respond.

"That embarrassing?" She asked with a snicker.

"I'd rather not say." He said carefully. She didn't like that answer, it was vague enough that she couldn't tell if he was lying, it made her suspicious that he had something to hide.

"Killian, look at me." He turned to face her. He was still angry, but worse, he was distant, avoiding her eyes, keeping his eyes downcast. She just didn't understand. "What's wrong?"

He held his position forcing a smile. "I'm fine Swan." He still didn't look at her, making it hard to believe that. He was lying to her.

He tried to shove past her but she gripped his arm lightly, pulling him in for a close embrace, her head on his shoulder. She felt him going ridged, not expecting that. She could feel his body shudder slightly before he melted against her, his eyes closed as she felt his arms tighten around her.

"I know you're holding something back from me, and that's ok, we all have secrets, we all get things stuck in our heads." She started, cupping his cheek gently as she pulled down a fraction. "My parents were always suspicious of everyone and everything. They taught me, practically made me into what I am, walls and all. But I'm going to do what my parents never could; I'm going to choose to see the best in you."

His breathing caught as he placed his hand, over hers.

"And I you." He promised. "I'm sorry. There is so much I want to tell you, but it's just hard to do that right now." He pressed his forehead against hers. "Everything has changed in these last weeks and I'm not sure exactly how to move forward, how to do anything at all actually."

She could understand that, Emma knew that he had spent most of his life, all of his adult life, serving a corrupt and horrendous Captain. He had finally found the courage to confront the man and had taken back his ship. Emma had been so proud of him.

What she also knew was that his memories of losing his brother had become distorted of the late, he didn't tell her the new version of the story just yet, but she knew it was much worse than just being abducted from Neverland by said corrupt Captain. She had a suspicion it had something to do with an action his brother had taken, something very bad that her sailor was trying to deal with himself before talking about it with her.

"How about we start somewhere small? How did you cut yourself in the back of the neck?" She asked, hoping that the funny story could lighten the mood a bit. She quite liked her sailor flustered.

He flinched slightly, his voice getting gentle, calming even. "Do you promise not to over react?" He started. "Do you promise not to get angry?" She narrowed her eyes.

"When a man says that, I find myself never in a pleasant conversation." She replied. Emma was suspicious now, what the hell happened?

"Promise?" He urged. Emma nodded.

"Our friends the robbers paid me a visit while you two were gone." He admitted. She pulled away.

Her eyes widened. _They attacked Killian!_

She could feel her anger bubbling up, the thought of what could have happened playing out in front of her, returning to a dead Killian Jones, or worse, a dying one. To hear his last words, feel his last breaths-

 _She was going to make them pay, she was going to burn the forest to the ground, rip out their hearts and make them watch her turn them to dust_.

"Swan. I'm fine." He insisted, bringing her back to the present with his voice, with his touch on her hand. "So fine in fact that I got a little information for my troubles." He said with a smirk.

She looked at him with disbelief. "Seriously? How'd you manage that?" He laughed, pulling her close.

"Well Swan, it turns out that when I'm not hunched over, a mop in my hands, I can be quite persuasive to a lass." He snickered. "Present company included of course." She frowned.

"I don't like the idea of you being persuasive with anyone but me." She said back, not caring for the slight possessiveness in her voice. She remembered back at port a few days ago when she thought another held his heart, remembered the burning in her throat at seeing her embrace another blonde like he was embracing her now. She had wanted to kill her, wanted to claim the sailor, her sailor-

"Do I detect a bit of jealousy Swan?" He snickered.

"What do you think sailor?" She responded, pulling at the lapels of his jacket, pulling him towards her. "You're my sailor." They crashed in a flare of heat and passion, nothing like earlier, it felt real this time. His hand was around her waist and in her hair. Her own were over his chest, sliding under his jacket towards the buttons of his vest.

"Swan." He moaned, hands weakly trying to stop her fiddling with the devices. "I meant what I said before." He said breaking apart their embrace slightly. He wanted to wait. He wanted to court her properly, but didn't he know that he already held her heart? That he didn't need t go to the trouble?

She moaned a complaint as she pushed him against a tree. "You're not the only one that can be persuasive Sailor." She said instead, hoping to break that gentlemanly will of his. The sailor was just a man after all.

"Bloody hell Swan." He said in a sigh, holding her hands still. "You're making it bloody impossible for me to be a gentleman, you know that love?"

She laughed, pressing her palm over his heart, hearing its gentle beating.

(Ok not gentle since she had her own body pressed against his at the moment)

"Oh I know." She snickered. "That's the plan." He looked at her softly, so softly that she stopped her attempts. She chose to respect his decision, but it didn't mean she couldn't speed it up a little. "So Killian Jones, will you go out with me?"

He raised his gaze, looking at her questioningly. She suppressed a sigh. "Courting. Sorry." She said quickly. Emma didn't often get her terms confused.

"Shouldn't I be the one asking to court you?" He questioned with a smirk. She just rolled her eyes.

"Please, you know I'd only agree so that we could do more pleasurable activities." She said cheekily, fingering his jacket, running her hands down it, smoothing the wrinkles she had created when she had grabbed it. Emma absolutely adored that jacket on him, she rested her forehead against his shoulder.

"Fine, but only if you let me plan the evening." He responded smoothly, taking her hands in his again.

She pulled her head away, wanting to look at him. "What's that supposed to mean?" He took her moment of distraction to switch their position so her back was against the tree, letting out a triumphant chuckle as he went.

"In all due respect Swan, if it's fighting knights or witches, I'll admit, you are the expert, but I have a bit of experience in the matter of courting a beautiful lass, I've learned from the best." He said.

She practically melted under his gaze.

"Okay." She said. Emma wanted to say her voice didn't waver under him, didn't betray her, didn't sound like the love sick lost girl she'd always been deep down inside. "As much as I'd like to stay here, we should head back." She said simply, catching her voice this time.

Killian nodded. "I wouldn't want to give your lad the wrong idea." He added.

Emma laughed. "Always the gentleman."

* * *

A little fluffy resolution to their internal issues here, just in time for Valentines day, unfortunately I wanted to get to a spot where a Valentines day chapter would fit in quite nicely, but I was too slow. Maybe, if I get the chance, I'll stick it in Love of All Kinds as a little bit of a teaser. No promises.

This starts off a little rough, but bear with me, its just a bit of vague set up that's absolutely necessary so you can go "OH THAT'S WHAT YOU WERE HINTING AT!" later.

Posting a little earlier due to a busy weekend, in the future, I hope to post on Fridays or Saturdays, until Once comes back, then I might just post on Mondays because I may need to vent and speculate.

Guest review(s):

andria: All your questions have been answered (I hope). I was probably being a little too vague with the specifics about Henry's background, which I may tend to do after rereading chapters too many times, hopefully I cleared that up. It will be covered a bit more later on.

Don't forget to review! Helps me know what you know, and what to clarify, no beta reader here.

~Luna


	4. Chapter 4

Warning, some...implications of questionable circumstances... trust that I know what I'm doing.

Chapter 4

A Dangerous Woman

Killian had to admit, lying on the forest ground that night, he really missed the swaying of his ship, the familiar mattress under him and the comfort the darkness of the cabin's provided. It had taken a while to get comfortable, even longer to get to sleep.

But it was taking an infinitely longer time to wake himself up.

"Killian." Said a voice, he grinned, suspecting it was Emma. "Hey. Wake up." He reached out for her. The figure pulled away. He blinked his eyes open, seeing hazel eyes instead of green ones leering at him. He jumped back in surprise.

Laughter. The boy was laughing.

"Dreaming about my mom are you?" He snickered. "I thought you were all about good form, pirate?" He forced himself upwards.

"Henry?" He stuttered, blinking his eyes to get his sleep daze to fade. He looked around, the two of them were alone in the clearing, not a blonde hair in sight. "Where's your mother?"

The boy shrugs going to sit back around the dead fire. Killian sits up and watches as the boy expertly covers it with dirt, watches as the boy packs up his belongings without even batting an eye, it's obvious that he does this a lot.

"Do you go adventuring a lot with your mom lad?" The boy looks at him with a bored expression, adding in an eye roll.

"You don't have to try and get to know me, Mom won't care. You won't be sticking around long enough anyway, none of them do." He watched the boy seeing brutal honesty on his face. He truly didn't believe Killian would stay. He didn't think that was a healthy assumption for a chjild to make, he became determined to prove to him that he would, that only death itself would tear him away.

"I won't leave your mother or you Henry, I care for her and I hope you and I can at least become friends." Killian knew better than to claim he cared for the boy. He did, but could understand how his quick admission would look to the lad. It would look like a lie and a ploy to get closer with his mother.

But in all honesty, Killian saw something familiar in the boy, it spoke to him on a level Killian didn't quite understand.

Henry didn't reply, not like he expected the boy to. "I intend to prove it to you Henry, if you let me." Again more silence. He wasn't sure what to say, should he ask him if he could help? But he was almost done. The silence was defining.

Thankfully however, Swan chooses this moment to come barreling in, smile on her face.

"Good, you're up." She announced. "I did some research and figured there's a village a couple miles east, we'll try and make it there and spend a few days in the village lying low."

He righted himself to his feet shaking of the dust. "What for love?" He questioned. He had been under the assumption that they were trying to catch up to the queen.

Emma looked directly at him. "You need to find the sorcerer." Killian narrowed his gaze. He recalled the thief woman asking about the possibility of an alignment between the two. She had seemed worried. It made Killian suspicious of the supposed sorcerer.

"Me?" Emma nodded.

"He won't come near me with all my dark magic, but if you spread the word about needing help returning a boy to his mother, it'll surely draw him out, or at least draw out his contact, the man is a sucker for a good sob story." Emma snickered. "I'll be in town of course, but his informants won't know it's me." Killian nodded, seeing it as a solid plan.

"Why are we looking for this guy, you're plenty powerful on your own!" Henry interrupted.

"I need to explain to him exactly who he helped my mother take, he's supposedly this good and pure person, once I explain it to him, he should help us, or rather promise not to interfere." Emma explained. "Light magic is the only way to defeat my dark magic, finding them again would be pointless if he just undid every protection spell I cast."

Both he and Henry exchanged a look.

"So you're just going to talk to him?" Henry asked with disbelief. "No fighting, no threats, no magic?"

She smiled. "I hope so, that's not to say that I won't defend myself, but I'm…I'm trying to be different." Those words made Killian want to sweep her up and kiss her. He felt foolish for his worry yesterday, worse he felt as if he had betrayed her by fearing her power. She was Swan.

Traveling through the forest was relatively quiet, occasionally Emma would hang back with him as he wasn't used to the long treks. Whenever the crew docked, they'd stay in town for different periods of times, they never went on adventures through the woods. Liam had, but had made sure Killian would stay behind and mind the ship; it was his brother's way of making all of this seem like it was Killian's idea. Never the less, Killian wasn't used to these long journeys, the one he had taken through the snow had nearly killed him, even here in better conditions, he wasn't fairing too well.

"We can stop if you'd like." She asked for the tenth time and despite really wanting to,

"Again?" Henry groaned. "He's really slowing us down."

He refused. "I'm fine love." Killian wasn't going to be a burden here. He would just adjust, it was what he always did after all. Adjusting was a task he always managed to do.

Occasionally, Emma would speed up so she got to walk besides her son, those were the times Killian tried to push himself to go a bit faster, as to close the distance a bit. He knew Emma didn't like either of them so far from her, not after the bandits had made threats on both their lives. He knew that she would not let that happen a second time.

Emma insisted certain times for them all to take a break, saying that Henry shouldn't push himself so far and fast. "Getting them back is going to take some planning, some cooperation and a whole lot of luck." She told them both. "So you two need to start being honest about when you need breaks, this macho, I don't need a break stuff is just getting me annoyed." She huffed.

Regardless, they reached town before night fall, just as Emma predicted. He went in to get them rooms in the tavern, two. One for Emma and her boy and one for him; it was the honorable thing to do in this situation after all.

"Henry and I are going to check out the rooms." Emma said on their way up stairs. "I want you back at the bar, telling anyone who will listen about you needing the sorcerer's help." She reminded him. He nodded in understanding.

"What should I say is the matter?" She placed her finger to her cheek thinking for a moment.

"Your sister was taken, leaving your nephew an orphan. He hates the thought of a child losing its mother; rumor has it, the sorcerer's wife, before he was all powerful, was killed and his son went missing." Killian frowned, that was a sad tale.

"No one deserves to lose their mother Swan. I'll be back in a few hours' time, hopefully with some good news." He told her kissing her gently on the cheek.

"I'll be waiting." And they were gone.

Killian had seen many a man lose themselves in the taverns, but he also had seen the way they gathered information. He sat at the bar, ordering rum just as his brother often did. Killian didn't know much about alcohol so he figured it was a safe bet.

He took the drink in hand before looking at the bar keeper. "I'm looking for information mate, word has it, the sorcerer often visits this village, is there any way for a man to get an audience with the man?" The bar keeper sneered, laughing.

"What seems to be the trouble?" He asked, Killian didn't like the way the man asked, as if his problem was amusing. "My sister is missing; she left her boy with me. I need to find her." He insisted. "The sorcerer is the only way that my nephew can have his mother back." The man laughed again, watching as Killian took the drink, throwing it down as the burn reached his throat.

"Find the boy a new mother, the sorcerer is not here." The barkeep sneered. "Besides, a man like you couldn't afford the price." A man like him? The price? "My advice is to shut your yap about the sorcerer before-" He was cut off by a small laugh from a couple tables over.

"You've done it now mate." The man uttered backing off. Killian looked at the table, seeing a gloved hand beckon him over. "You wanted the sorcerer, now you'll have to pay the price." The man's words struck him as odd.

"I was told that the sorcerer did the right thing, not that he charged for his services." He asked, not daring to take a single step, much to the shrouded figure's annoyance. She was sitting with another woman.

"Oh there's a price alright, but not from him, but from _her_. Don't keep them waiting." The man warned. Killian stood up and ventured over, taking the seat farthest from the lasses.

"You called?" He questioned, looking between the pair, one was dressed in gold, the other in burgundy. "Are you the ones that can get me a meeting with the sorcerer?" Killian questioned. His instincts were screaming at him to get Swan, that this situation was dangerous. He wasn't scared at anywoman who showed interest in him, but the feeling he was getting...it wasn't a good one.

"Maybe." The golden one purred; he could see her eyes shining blue orbs from under her golden cloak, brown curls spilled out around her as she beckoned him closer. It was obvious that she was beautiful, but there was something about her that also screamed for him to run. "Perhaps before you can get _his_ attention, you're going to need to get _mine."_

He pulled a seductive smile on his face, returning to the pirate persona he called whenever it proved useful, right now it was useful.

"Aye lass, what can I do to get your attention?" He purred scooting closer. She reached over to his hand gripping it in her own. Killian suppressed a shiver at how cold it was. It made the other laugh.

"Oh, milady, you're scaring the man." She teased, looking back at the bar keep with fluttering eyelashes. The golden woman shushed her.

"Tell me pirate, why do you need the sorcerer?" She asked holding his hand out, fingering the lines in his hand, tracing them up and down in slow ministrations.

"My nephew, he's lost his mother and I'm trying to find her." He explained.

"Think I'm stupid pirate?" She purred, her nails digging into his hand, making him flinch and try to pull his hand away, but her grip was stronger than it looked. "No, I'm not stupid, I can read a lie like, well," she said smirking glancing at her companion, "like a book." It made the two laugh like it was some sort of inside joke between them.

Killian didn't like how the other woman had her hand resting upon his knee.

"I wonder what type of book he'd be underneath." She said with a snicker and an indecent glance, he batted her hand away with a glare. Burgundy crossed her arms in a pout.

He wasn't comfortable, but didn't pull back completely from them, he just steeled his gaze. He would usually freak at a woman being so forward with him, but he had to keep his cool, keep it for Emma, for her boy. "Perhaps you're reading the wrong book lass, because all I'm doing is trying to reunite a boy with his family." He said raising his chin in challenge, before looking back at the golden cloaked woman, feeling how she was now soothing the red marks she had made. "It's all I'm interested in at the moment." It made her laugh, claws digging into his skin again.

"Ooh. He's got spunk." Burgundy snickered. "Can we keep him?"

He shot her a glare. "I'm not a bloody dog." He snapped, but was completely ignored.

"Patience darling, patience." She snickered. Like a mentor to a student, student in what? He didn't know.

"The sorcerer doesn't go out of his way these days, staying close to home, but once a task gets his attention, he will do anything to accomplish his mission." She said, gripping harsher. He could see the moment she broke the skin.

"Don't break him milady." The burgundy cloaked woman warned. "You know how rare pretty pirates are."

"Oh I know," The golden cloaked woman replied "Perhaps we can talk about terms tomorrow, meet me here, alone, especially without your woman." Her gaze was over him, sapphire eyes penetrating him in a way Emma didn't. They didn't look for his soul, no, these eyes were content with what lay on the surface.

"Awe, why do you get to have all the fun?" The other pouted.

She waver her worries away, "Don't worry Marian, darling, you'll have your fun soon." She teased.

He tensed, not knowing how to explain away Emma. "It's not what it looks like." He said simply. She trailed her finger down another line in his palm.

"Doesn't matter to me." She laughed, leaning over so he could see her pale skin as she cupped his cheek fingering the cut across his cheek. "You wouldn't be the first I've stolen." The Marian woman snickered, glancing towards the bar tender before looking back at the other woman. "And stealing a fearsome pirate from the Dark Princess…"She trailed off, lips curling up to a snarl, moving her hand down towards his neck.

This time he flinched at her touch, she was just so damn well close, he could smell the scent flowers on her skin. "I'll see you tomorrow , love, that is, if you ever want to help poor Henry find his mother." And she stood, leaving Killian practically frozen in place as they exited the tavern. A single dangerous thought occurred to him

She said Henry's name. He never said the boy's name.

He chased after her, gripping her arm to stop her.

"Surely we can discuss it now lass?" He tried, it made her laugh, a dark laugh as she eyed his hand.

"Sorry hun, but I have people to see, things to do." She reached forward, gripping his collar. "But I suggest that you release me this instant if you want to keep that pretty hand of yours." She sneered. "I'm sure the Dark One would appreciate her puppet keeping all his parts." She scanned his figure again, making him shiver this time. "In working order." He recoiled sharply, practically feeling her razor sharp words cutting against his skin just as easily as would a dagger. "Just as I would." He watched her prance off, there was no doubt what she was doing.

Taunting and teasing him, making him feel nothing but dread. He felt like a piece of meat to be tugged between her and Emma.

"She likes you mate." The bar keeper warned sadly, returning to his side a hand on his shoulder, it made him flinch in surprise. The man backed off after noticing his frightened reaction "And that's the only thing more dangerous than if she hated you." Killian narrowed his eyes, understanding completely. He still was trying to figure out how she had realized the lad's name and Emma's title. It was something he didn't like, no not at all. He kept silent, still feeling the lingering presence of the woman, wishing desperately for Emma in this moment.

"The lass there, she's dangerous, she's the only one who can get you a sit down with the sorcerer, but it'll cost a hefty price, especially if you're here with your own sweetheart."

Oh yes, he would have to tell Emma, his Swan, about the lass and her not too subtle request of him. In all honesty he wasn't too sure if he could stomach it, either of them, the conversation with Swan, or the actual...

But on the other hand, she was under the impression that he was under the thumb of the Dark One. It took guts to challenge her, to threaten to 'steal him' so why would she unless she wanted more? She was after something else.

Killian groaned, realizing that this was getting complicated. He asked for another glass, predicting the need of some more rum. Yes, he'd need lots and lots of rum. It always made Liam a bit happier after bad news, so why not try some himself?

"She's a wild one that one, what she desires is a bit of excitement, some danger, she comes here, picking off any she sets her sights on, and she's chosen you." The man explained. Killian was tired of this conversation, only able to stomach it if his glass was full of the amber liquid.

"What about the other woman? That Marian woman?" The barkeep tensed, avoiding his gaze.

"A past passion project of hers, think of her as the finished product." He snarled angrily. Killian tensed. That was a sick, twisted relationship, a twisted dangerous woman, he refused to let her win, to become that.

"She's a siren, at first she'll say it's the only way to get the sorcerer's help, but after a while, she'll have you wrapped around her finger, make you forget you have any free will at all, trick you into choosing to meet her demands. My advice, leave town now before she learns your name, stronger people than you have fallen under her charms. The second you do, that woman will find a way to make you lose the most important thing a person has." He looked back at her, talking to a guard making the man loosen, a grin on his face as she laughed with him, his bag of coins in her hands. The man watched her go with a confused expression on his face.

"And what exactly is that?" He said dryly, still feeling her touch on his knee, it burned him worse than the physical burn on his wrist and palm.

"Yourself." The bar keep warned ominously. It made Killian nervous, he'd lost himself for 15 years, and he wasn't exactly keen on letting that happen again.

"What's her name?" Killian asked, trying to decide what the next course of action would be, and what to tell the other dangerous woman in this tavern, the one waiting for him just above them.

"Lacey." The man responded. "Her name is Lacey."

He waited by the bar for a while longer, finding that the more he drank the more he really dreaded going back up there, but he did, eventually Killian wobbled up those steps, fumbling for the door handle, trying to force the key through the hole.

"Bloody hell." He cursed as he couldn't get the door open, the bloody key must be broken or something. "Why isn't this thing working?"

There was a chuckle as he turned around clumsily. "It helps if you went to the right door." Emma snickered, bringing a smile to his face. He cursed at the bloody bad handwriting on the doors of the bloody tavern. How was he to know that was a 3 not a bloody 8?

She held a door open for him, "After you." She snickered. He went inside, swaying on occasion. His hand reared up as he grabbed the wall to try and steady himself. "You really need to learn to hold your liquor." She laughed.

He grumbled unhappily.

"Hey," She said softly. "I'm just laughing at how you're usually so tightly wound and right now, you seem so…" Killian tensed as she pulled his arm around her shoulder, his head rolling against her neck. She smelled nice.

"Out of control? Vulnerable?" He said with a chuckle. "Like a slab of meat pushed and pulled around." He laughed darkly. He saw Emma's eyes furrowing in confusion. He didn't mean to say that, but bloody hell the alcohol was muddling his vocabulary.

"I was going to say loose, free." She clarified. "What happened?"

Killian chuckled under his breath collapsing backwards onto the bed. "This is why I told people I was allergic." He grumbled. "A couple inches of rum lays me out flat, how do you think I got this beauty?" He asked pointing to his arm, a healed over gash in it. "Crew loved to get me drunk and see what mischief they could get me into." He admitted. "Got me to steal from someone…don't remember who, but just that they didn't have much of a sense of humor that next morning." He told her. She touched the scar delicately.

Emma didn't respond as she helped him shed his jacket and vest before pulling him further into the bed. After a long day of walking, he just wanted to sleep in a bed and he didn't have the energy to move.

"I'll say." She chuckled, touching his hand, he saw her touch the spot where Lacey had, her eyes narrowed on the crescent cuts in his palm. He involuntarily shivered, dreading tomorrow, wondering what would be the price of the meeting with the sorcerer. He just found himself again, he wasn't sure if he was ready to lose it again. "Killian? Are you alright?" Killian flinched meeting her gaze. He sighed, knowing he couldn't keep anything from her, but he had hoped he could wait until morning. She was just so beautiful. He pulled his hand up, trying to pull her close, but he missed terribly.

Emma realized what he was trying, guiding his hand towards her, wrapped up in her blonde locks, he sat up, kissing her passionately, or at least as passionately as his drunken mind could. He parted, resting his forehead against hers. "You're so beautiful." He said, words tumbling from his lips before he could stop them. "An angel, a bloody angel." He insisted.

She held him close for another moment, before he felt Emma lying him back down on the bed.

"I met the sorcerer's contact." He admitted, slipping to the next conversation point in his head. He saw Emma snicker. "I told her I needed to talk to the sorcerer." She didn't respond waiting for him to explain. "She's…" He stopped half way.

"She?" Emma asked suspiciously. "What exactly does she want from you?" He grinned at the sound of jealousy in her voice.

"My id-idendidy." He slurred, feeling that wasn't right, he stuttered through various syllables until the proper word formed. "Identity." He settled on, getting a confused look from Swan. He groaned, and cursed the rum for making his thoughts feel like cotton.

"I don't know Swan, she wants to meet for drinks tomorrow to discuss her terms." He sighed, eyes drooping. "I don't like them Swan, they were trying to get in my head." He explained tapping his head twice, almost hitting himself in the eye, much to Swan's amusement, she steadied his grasp in her own, lying down beside him. "It didn't work I don't think. But she scared me." He admitted. "Tell me what you want me to do." She stopped, kissing his forehead, a shockingly caring gesture, hand cupping his cheek. He sighed. "Your hand isn't cold." He informed her.

She laughed.

"Good to know, let me think on it alright?" He nodded. "Good night Killian."

* * *

A little choppy, but I think we'll be getting out of the set up, and into more of the...fun scenes very soon. Hopefully then the reviews will pick up a bit, hope this is well liked, if not, I'd still like opinions, they get me excited and make me possibly post chapters early.

I mentioned awhile ago that there were three chapters that I've...flipped that have me a little nervous over how drastic I made it. The first was Elsa, then it was Henry, and now...well, you know.

I want to thank all the new followers who I'm guessing, since they've been coming in sporadically, they've been trying to catch up on Freeing the Witch, something I appreciate greatly.

16 days left or so, until Once comes back and we dive into the Underworld. I'm very curious over how cannon will make that work...

Guest Review(s):

 _ **andria:**_ I'm glad you liked last chapter, I encourage mentioning anything you're curious about, I'm constantly editing and perfecting to the best of my ability. Personally my favorite chapter is...soon-ish.

Don't forget to review!

~Luna


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5

A Favor for the Devil

She watched him that next morning, laughing as he grumbled against his hang over. He swore up and down that he was never having another drink again. It cracked her up laughing.

It was such a change from the somber pirate who'd stumbled in, switching from talking about some mysterious contact he'd met, to planting a drunken kiss holding her hand and being just plain sweet.

Henry was getting a kick out of it, purposely talking loud to annoy the pirate. It took Killian a while to figure out that it wasn't just the throbbing in his head.

"I think your lad hates me love." He whispered to her when Henry wasn't listening. "I haven't done something wrong have I?" Emma shook her head, finding how much he cared for Henry's opinion of him was adorable.

"He'll come around, it just takes patience." Killian smiled gratefully.

"Like mother like son." He snickered into her ear, leaning forward, kissing her cheek lightly.

"So Killian, now that you're feeling better, care to tell me about your new friend?" He stiffened, something she didn't like. A part of her wanted to find the person who was making him nervous, making him slightly afraid.

Or perhaps a little more, than a little considering his odd drunken admissions.

"What did I tell you last night?" He questioned over breakfast, his eyes darted between her and the rest of the tavern, scratching behind the ear. He was searching the crowd, searching for someone. Emma took the way his hand clenched to a fist as an indication that he wasn't looking for a friend.

"That she was connected to the sorcerer, and that she wanted to have drinks with you." She explained. Drinks were normal at a bar right, it wasn't like this woman _wanted_ Killian, no, no, that was ridiculous. Killian was _hers_.

"Love, she uh, made certain gestures that-" Her grin fell. She saw how nervous Killian was getting, flustered even and Emma Swan knew how to read between the lines. She knew how to read the flustered look, after all, she'd made him flustered that first day she saw him.

"Come again?" She practically hissed. "What the hell kind of _insinuations_ did she make?" She could just imagine her timid flustering Killian being manipulated into a situation they both knew he didn't want to be a part of, but he would, he would if he thought it would help her. That was just the type of _damn sacrificial hero_ he was.

It reminded her too much of her father, of Graham.

No. This was not happening a third time, not to this one, not to her sailor. He was hers. Emma didn't know exactly what that meant just yet, but it definitely meant that no slut was _touching_ him.

He reached over, gripping her hand tightly, calming her down instantly. "Love, please, don't overreact, but she made it seem like if we wanted her help, I'd need to-" He shuddered and she shook her head, squeezing his hand right back. She could just imagine Killian allowing this manipulation, because it would help her. No, she wasn't going to let this stand.

"There's no way I'm letting her strong arm you into her bed, I don't care who her friends are." She seethed. "Talking fine, drinks sure, but if she lays a single hand on you, she's going to lose the damn thing!" She didn't even know the witch, but she saw the way he avoided her eyes.

 _Oh no she didn't!_

"What did she do?" She demanded, remembering the way he shivered when she touched his hand. The way he sighed in relief as she touched his cheek, his words.

" _Your hand is warm."_

She grabbed his hand back from him in a fit of rage, turning it over, seeing the small cuts in his skin. Placing her hand over the marks, she made them vanish, as if purging this woman's mark from her sailor.

He was about to respond when his eyes darted towards something, a scowl crossing his face. Emma turned around seeing a yellow cloak and brown curls hiding under it. She didn't need to see his face to just know this was _the_ woman.

"Killian." She growled. "I'm going to go over there and give her _my_ terms." She warned, standing, but he stopped her.

"Swan, no, let me handle this, I won't do anything that can't be undone, alright? Not when I have you looking out of me yes?" She crossed her arms. As he smirked, waggling his eyebrows at her, just to make her a smile a bit.

It worked. Damn it.

"Fine, but please, don't hesitate to call for me, just say my name and I will be over there in a flash." She reminded him. "You don't need to do _anything_ for me, alright?" He nodded and bounded over to the table, taking the woman by surprise. Emma couldn't hear the conversation, but she saw Killian's posture maintain itself, glaring harshly at the woman.

She laughed at him, making him deflate; she patted the seat next to him, eyeing him.

Emma made sure to glare daggers at the woman. It just made her snicker. Killian took his seat as the woman wrapped herself around his arm.

 _Slit her throat, make her burn. Burn this whole village down with her._

Then she leaned in, the woman's lips pressing against Killian's ear. She saw the color drain from his face.

 _Come on Killian, just say my name. Let me go over there and wring her scrawny neck._

He turned, pirate persona in full swing, muttering words darkly, a warning, a threat. He flinched in a gaps suddenly without warning. The woman placed her hand on his cheek, Killian closed his eyes and turned away. He met her eyes and nodded.

She could see it in his eyes, shifting between her and the woman, he sighed.

" _Swan."_ He mouthed. It was close enough.

Emma marched over, trying not to rush but planning to make damn certain her intentions. That hurting her pirate meant certain death.

She slammed her fists against the table, growling before trying to pull her sailor out of the slut's grip but he didn't move, he was glaring angrily at the woman.

 _What did she do to him?!_

"Hello Dark One, such a pleasure to finally meet you." The woman cooed, holding out her hand to her. Killian tensed beside her.

Emma refused to take it, much to concern with the way Killian's eyes kept flickering to the woman's unseen hand, and towards her warily.

"Not one for pleasantries I see? Fine."

Emma reached over grabbing Killian by the elbow, he flinched away at first before easing, Emma could feel his nerves getting away from him. He eyed her apologetically "What did you do?" The woman laughed, hazel eyes glancing over Killian, placing her other hand on his shoulder. Emma stared at it, willing it to burst into flames.

"I'm not magical Dark One, but I did learn a few tricks, one being to know when I've found something of value-" He flinched, biting back a hiss, trying to pull away from the woman but not moving fully.

"Tells me Dark One, can your magic heal a wound made with an enchanted blade, made of pure light magic" She laughed. Emma looked down, seeing the hilt in her puny hands, and the flash of gold beneath his coat. "So at the moment, I'm in control of your little puppet."

She bit back an angry hiss, knowing exactly what this parasite wanted: _A deal._ Those were what everyone seemed to want from the Dark One.

"What do you want?" Emma snarled placing a hand on Killian's other shoulder, rubbing in a circular motion. He seemed to calm down, looking over in her general direction.

"Don't-" But he was interrupted as he tensed, this woman pressed deeper into his side.

"Quiet, us ladies are talking." She chastised, Killian turned towards her glaring.

She grabbed his arm tighter. "Spit it out right now before I make you." Emma growled angrily.

"Patience Dark One, patience. I came here looking for some fun, but imagine my surprise when I spotted you and your puppet coming in and I was just _dying_ to get to know him." She snickered. "The poor fool thought I _wanted_ him." She laughed. "Do I _look_ like I need to blackmail someone into my bed?" She snickered. "But making him think I wanted him was kind of fun. There are just _so_ many useful puppets to be had, _so_ many ways to _break_ them too."

She clenched her fist over Killian's hand. "He's not your puppet, he's mine." She sneered. "I like keeping my things; only I say when they break." She snapped. Killian watched her nervously, Emma wanted more than anything to soften her gaze, tell him that wasn't what she thought, but she couldn't afford to. Instead she just kept soothing him as much as possible with her touch.

The woman eyed her and then adjusted the knife a little deeper, making Killian hiss. "And what a delectable puppet you have, tell me, good as he looks?"

Emma suppressed a snarl. "I'm not here to talk about my sex life. Let him go." She demanded. "I see that you want me, not him." Emma told her. Once Killian was out of here, she could take this vixen's heart and make her tell her everything.

The woman shrugged, hand in Killian's hair as he tried to pull. She pulled him right back towards her. "She's got magic Sw-" He tried but Emma noticed the way his face tensed the blood dripping down his coat, she shook her head.

"Don't." She said in warning. He stopped, nodding in understanding

"Not every day you get to meet the Dark One, definitely not every day that you get to have leverage on one." She giggled. "Something I won't lose voluntarily, so tell me Dark One, why did you really want to contact the sorcerer?"

Emma wanted to skin her alive.

"He wasn't too far off; I want to find some people who were taken from the woods, old acquaintances of mine." She nodded knowingly

"Ah yes, poor Henry's family, I had heard rumors of the Purple Fairy's grandson roaming unprotected but I assume you've taken him under your wing? Taught him well I assume?"

She stayed calm, "The Sorcerer helped to take them and I want to rescue them. I need to speak to him before I can do that."

She nodded again. "Ah yes, after how the Queen got his assistance with capturing them? Yes yes, I assume you do." She leaned in closer.

"But what do I get out of passing along the messages?" She inquired. "My services aren't cheap."

 _The slim chance that I don't stick your head on a spike?_

"What do you want?" The woman pointed at the sailor.

"His name." She started. "His name and a favor."

Emma tensed. She didn't like open ended promises, deals she couldn't control, find loopholes. Plus she was curious what this vixen wanted with Killian's name. More leverage on her? Emma didn't like being vulnerable.

 _"Eventually Swan, you're going to have to learn how to trust people, to let them know that you don't see them as things, but as people_."

 _"You seem to know a lot about trust Killian, so tell me, how do you know that someone won't break it?" She asked with an edge. "All my life I've learned that love, trust, it's all a means to an end. It's not real, its weakness_."

 _"Aye, in the wrong hands it is. But in the right hands, it's quite the opposite."_

Emma wondered at what point she had let in this sailor, when he meant enough to her to relinquish a little control.

"Hmm, I wonder how deep I'd have to press to get him to scream?" She teased, making Killian squirm in his seat, glaring daggers.

"I wonder that to lass." He bit back defiantly, eying her with a smirk, hissing again as apparently his innuendo didn't strike this woman as being very funny. Emma urged Killian to shut up.

"Fine." Emma snapped. "Introduce me to the Sorcerer and have him hear out my side of the story, and you swear never to harm him in anyway, ever." She added with a smirk. If she was getting her pirate's identity then at least Emma was going to get assurances that he wouldn't be leveraged, that she would have to think of something else to get to her.

She shrugged, looking satisfied with that. The woman pulled out an envelope, placing it on the table.

"The sorcerer's son is turning four next week, this will get you into the party." Emma takes the envelope from her, reading it slowly.

The paper was pure white, golden letters decorated it proudly as well as an image of the little boy, golden hair and green eyes, he looked happy so unbelievably happy.

 _Neal_ the baby's name was _Neal._

"Killian Jones. MY name is Killian Jones." Killian snapped. She laughed, Emma heard an 'of course' muttered under her breath.

She leaned over whispering something into Killian's ear before standing up and making a quick exit.

In another life, Emma would chase after her, killed her right in the middle of the pub, but right now, she wasn't that person. She watched as Killian ripped his hand from her, pressing on the red spot in his side.

"Killian? Hey, Killy, are you alright?" she prodded, looking over to his side, searching for any sign of injury. His skin was cut but not too deep, much to her relief, but it looked quite painful. She tried to heal it, but nothing happen, just as she feared.

"Yes Swan. I'm fine. I was a fool to think-" Emma shook her head, getting him up.

"No, it's ok. You got us in; I have what we came for, now it's time to get you patched up." She told him sternly. He shook his head.

"I'd prefer a moment to do it myself." He replied. He didn't look pleased, he looked quite defeated actually.

"Killian-" He shook his head, plastering a cocky smile on his face.

"Emma love, you are a lass of many talents, but I'd welcome a guess that you've never held a needle and thread before in your life. Did you even know it needed stitches?" He asked her.

She pouted before trying again. "Killian, are you sure you're alright?" She said softly, hand on his arm. He forced his smile a bit more.

"Course love, never better." He insisted.

"Killian-" He pulled away, pointing at Henry.

"Your lad is pick-pocketing those black guards, perhaps you should step in?" He inquired. "I'll go settle the tab."

Emma sighed. She was never going to understand that man.

She turned around, looking for her boy, he was doing just what Killian had told her, chatting animatedly with some guards, swiping their gold with them none the wiser.

"So you were my age when you first started learning how to use a sword, wow, any tips for-" He started before she grabbed him by the collar. The guards looked at him in concern.

"Sorry, my little brother wants to be a knight." She said simply. "Sorry we have to go."

Henry groaned. "Please, just five more minutes."

 _The little squirt._ She mentally grumbled.

"We've got to go now if we want to meet _mom."_ She pressed. Henry's eyes brightened.

He quickly said goodbye to his new friends, following her with a skip in his step. "So do you know? Did you find the sorcerer?" He questioned.

"Killian got me a meet with the contact, we came to an agreement." She told him. Henry looked at her in disbelief.

"The sailor?" Henry asked.

"Yes the sailor." Emma replied. "He's trying to help us. When you see him, maybe you should thank him?" She tried, earning an eye roll. "Henry. I don't have his heart; he's doing this because he cares, because he wants to help us."

He didn't respond at first. "Are you serious?" She nodded, bending down to look him in the eye.

"He saved my life Henry. I don't like telling you about some of the things I do when I'm off on my adventures…"She explained. "But he deserves your respect, at least a little ok?"

Henry nodded. "I'll give it a try. You're right he is different." Emma was about to ask what he meant when she saw the bartender wave her over.

"Killian has the money we-" She started, assuming that the man and owner of the tavern/inn wanted to be paid, but she was wrong.

"I'd like to give you some advice lass." He said slowly. "About that man of yours."

She crossed her arms. "What about?" She asked simply. Emma didn't exactly like getting advice from a stranger who had no clue what he was talking about.

"Lacy is dangerous, and I don't want another innocent to get hurt.I've seen her work over and over agin in the recent months. Your love, Jones, has peeked her interest." Innocent? Get hurt? Interest?

"What do you know about her?" Emma asked quickly. "She threatened him." The man nodded.

"The last person who received her interest…" He trailed off. "They are no longer them…" He said vaguely.

"What happened to him?" She insisted.

"They lost themselves and she built them up in her cruel image. I don't want to see that happen again, so I suggest you take Jones and your boy and get the hell out of dodge." He insisted. "Before he is no longer Jones at all."

She usually would snap at him, giving her an order, making inferences about what was best for the people she loved but right now she agreed with him. There was something not right with that woman. The other Dark Ones…the ones she remembered in her head, they would do this all the time, mess with people, orchestrate events to break them, kill their loves, isolate them from their families, manipulate them when they were the most vulnerable.

Emma swore never to do that, ever.

"Thank you." She whispered softly, walking back to where Henry stood, tapping his foot impatiently.

She was just in time to see Killian coming down the stairs, a different vest beneath his jacket.

"So where are we off to next Swan?" His usual demeanor had returned, much to her delight, but he still seemed glum.

"A ball." She replied evenly. "We're going to a ball."

* * *

Fun fact, Chapter 5 of Freeing the Witch was called a Deal with Devil. Not planned, but quite the coincidence.

Stuff went down, The end of the build up, now comes some really nice parts that I'm pretty excited about. Get ready everyone. Its about to get real.

Thank you for the increased reviews! Those definitely made me smile and so, slightly early chapter.

10 days. I'm so ready. Hiatus, end already. Please.

Guest review:

 _ **andria**_ : The sorcerer definitely is going to be interesting.

Don't forget to review!

~Luna


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6

Picking Partners

A bloody ball. He was going to a bloody ball.

He didn't feel in the partying sort of mood. Partying was for heroes, not for cowards who keeps getting himself in dangerous situations. He keeps needing saving.

"Aye. That sounds _peachy_ Swan." He said bitterly, he tried to keep his voice cheery but he couldn't help it.

That bloody woman was in his head and he couldn't get her out.

Emma told them the location, in the golden kingdom two days north of there as the sorcerer's spawn was turning 4 and the village was celebrating it.

He would never celebrate his own birth; it would turn into the day of his death anyway. Yet another foe he would be helpless to stop, he would be just another who would leave Emma, who would hurt her.

He clenched his fists once the boy had turned his back on them.

"Sailor?" He shook his head.

"Give me a moment Swan. I really don't want to snap at you again, but I need a moment to think." He admitted. Words and memories tearing at his insides.

"Ok." She said softly. She was looking at him like that, worried, like he was about to break. He didn't like that look, not now. Back on the ship he liked seeing that she cared, but now he felt weak and powerless and inept.

It made him burn with rage.

He really didn't want to go to this ball.

Emma let him have his space, much to his surprise; she only spoke to him when necessary all throughout the day. He appreciated that, he really did. But it didn't help exactly, it just kept spinning in his head, spinning and spinning.

"Killian?" Said someone suddenly. He turned around, seeing Henry, looking at him thoughtfully.

"Yes lad?" He replied calmly.

"Mom says you _want_ to help get my mom back." He nodded.

"I do." Killian replied simply. He would do anything in his power to return the lad to his family, family was very important to him.

"Why?" He asked in all seriousness. "Why do you care?"

Killian turned to see how far Swan had gotten before tuning to her boy. "Henry, do you remember what I said about good form?" The boy nodded. "Good form means that you do the right thing, no matter what. And do you know what the right thing is Henry?" He shook his head. "The right thing is making sure you don't lose your family. No one deserves to lose the people we love." He insisted.

"Do you love my mom?" Henry asked next, looking over to where Emma was as well.

"I..um…I don't know." He admitted. "It's complicated."

Henry chuckled. "That's what mom said about Graham." There was that name again, he had heard it in another fight the boy had had with Emma. "You adults make things so difficult. If you love my mom, she'll want to hear it." Henry told him.

"I thought you don't like me." He asked the boy. Henry folded his arms.

"I don't trust you, there's a difference." He reminded him. "You're still a pirate." It made Killian laugh.

"I'd trust a pirate above a Navy man any day." Killian snickered, much to Henry's amusement as he laughed.

For some reason talking with Henry helped combat the demons a bit. It made him remember why he was walking through this forest, were he would have been if he hadn't taken the boy to meet his captain, a chain of events that had forever changed his life.

Unfortunately, that very night, brought him back two paces. He could pretend to be a hero with Henry, with Emma. He could even fool himself

But in the dead of night, he knew. He knew who he was.

 _"That's a funny tattoo." Lacey remarked fingering it lightly. "I knew of a Milah. I know what she did, tell me, are you the coward who watched her die?"_

 _He hadn't expected that. "How do you know of her?" He growled right back, not liking the way her name fell of this siren's tongue._

 _She laughed cheekily. "Read about her in a book, you can say I'm an avid book worm. Is it true that the village burned her house after what happen? They didn't want to let the darkness in?" She sneered._

 _"You don't know what you're talking about." He had hissed at her, remembering the fire that he'd watched from the ship, the fire that took the last traces of his love away. "So tell me your terms or I'm walking away and finding someone else to help me." He had barked._

 _"Does the Dark One know you watched a mother bleed out on their living room floor? That when the boy is eventually found, he'll have no one to return to? Because you were weak? Does she know you'll let her ward down too?" She had continued, he had felt the blade enter his side, he tries to pull away, but her grip on his arm was stern. "Sit sailor, before I put a pretty little hole in your lung, one your precious Dark One can't heal." He feels the blade deepen and does as he was asked. He was becoming a hostage yet again. He was putting Emma in danger, again._

 _"Does she know that she's in bed with a liar? That you promised to fight for her when you can't even fight for_ her? The woman you loved."

 _The scene shifts to another. To a jungle island to a cave where despicable children swung on trees and he clung to his brother's side, he could see the wound, the jagged cut along his arm, turned black with poison. He was just glad it no longer spread, that his brother was ok._

 _"What are your terms?" Liam asked "So that my brother and I can go free?"_

 _The demon laughed and laughed, touching their lip before pointing at him._

 _"There's someone on this island. Someone who wishes to oppose me, I don't like opposition, don't you know, I want him to kill this person." Kilian went rigid._

 _"Absolutely not." Liam had roared, getting to his feet, pushing him behind his back. "He's just a boy." Killian looked between the demon and Liam the harsh stares._

 _"Look around you Captain Jones, we are all children here. It has to be him. I want him to cut out my enemy's heart." Killian shuddered._

 _"He won't." Liam snapped. "What he just killed this enemy and I bring you his heart, will that settle this debt?" Killian pulled away, looking at Liam, he didn't want to kill anyone._

 _"Brother!" He cried out as the demon nodded with a joyful smile and Liam turned to face him._

 _"You can do this." He promised. "I believe in you."_

 _The scene changed, he was standing in front of her, a brunette beauty who ruled his heart. She reached up and kissed him._

 _"Take me away Killian." She pleaded. "I can't live here, not like this." She was crying, he couldn't bear to see her cry. "Please Killian." He nodded._

 _He was always hopeless to her every desire. "I will Milah. We'll go away from here. We can be together."_

 _Then she was dead. He sunk to his knees, cradling her body as she gasped uselessly in his grip. She was dying, dead. A dagger through her heart._

 _"No Milah, No. Please. I'm sorry. I'm sorry. I'm sorry."_

 _She turned to him. "You did it for her." He leapt back. That wasn't how it happened. She never said…she didn't say…_

 _"You did it for her!" Liam yelled standing in front of him now, dagger raised. "But not for us."_

 _He shook his head. No. No. He turned back to Milah, she was standing now, Bae at her side._

 _"Not for us."_

 _Then Hans struck, the man he'd killed for Swan, he struck him right in the back. The dagger going right through his chest._

He leapt awake in a cold sweat. Shaking like a leaf, he felt over his chest feeling for the wound, for wetness of blood, but there was nothing.

He moved his hand through his hair, over and over again, pleading for the voices to go away.

 _"Why her and not me?"_

"Are you alright?"

 _"You watched her die."_

"Shut up." He hissed. "Just leave me be!" He said raising his voice over them.

"Killian? Hey Killian." He shook his head. "Killian?" He pulled his head from his hands, seeing Emma sitting next to him. It took a moment for him to realize that he was no longer dreaming, she was real and was seeing him in his post-nightmare state.

He pulled back.

"I'm fine. I'm fine." He snapped harshly, calming his breathing, getting his shaking down to a slight tremor. His words were more for his benefit than hers.

"You're not." She snapped back. "I'm trying to give you space, but you know what? That's not really me. So spit it out." She demanded. "What did that witch say to you? I know that's what's bothering you, or at least related."

He let out a breath.

"She knew of Milah." He responded. "Knew what happened to her. What I let happen. It's thrown me a bit." He could feel her deflate. "Old wounds of the heart." He added with a light hearted grin.

"Oh Killian, why didn't you tell me?" She pleaded. She felt guilty; of course she would feel guilty. That's just what he needed, not only did she have to protect him from real threats, but from his own inner demons too.

Could he do anything right?

"It's my cross to bear Swan, I shouldn't be worrying you every time something difficult crosses my mind." He explained dismissively.

"Maybe you should." She whispered. "Maybe I want to do that with you. Maybe I'm scared too."

He watched her warily, unsure what she meant. "What could you possibly be scared of love? You're the Dark One."

She nodded. "You would think that with all this power, I could protect people I care about." She turned, looking over at her sleeping son. "But I can't. The first person I tried to protect was my father. I had known for years that my mother held his heart, literally. He was forced to do her bidding. So one night I tried to get it back, free him. My mother found out and I had to watch her use it, squeeze his heart and cause him pain. I was helpless to stop it."

He could see her shut her eyes closed at the memory. "Do you remember what I told you? About how my father stopped caring? That was when it happened. After I failed to save him, mother ordered him not to care for me. She shut off his feelings for me." She whimpered. "I'm not telling you to tell me everything. I'm just saying that there is some good in talking to someone, to saying all these terrible things that happened to you out loud." She whispered, fingering his hand, rubbing gentle circles over his skin.

"Milah was married." He admitted in a single breath, reaching forward, whipping the tears from her eyes with his other hand, he didn't want her to drop her touch. "But she didn't love him. She resented him, hated him even." He continued. "But she loved her son. She would do anything for that boy, Bae."

Emma nodded, he pulled her closer, scooting them to lay against a tree as he continued his sad tale. "Her husband was constantly out, he was a soldier, he was constantly trying to help people, but never took the time to realize that the person he needed to help was her."

He remembered the first time he met her, her calm and caring face, her gentle touches, her fiery personality.

"We met after I had suffered a particularly bad beating from the Captain." He explained.

"Smee." She interrupted.

"What?"

"You stopped calling him 'the Captain' when you faced him. Just because you're dealing with other painful issues…I don't want you to undo the progress you've made." She insisted.

He nodded. It had been a simple slip of the tongue, but he saw her reasoning. He was the captain now. He was Captain Jones.

"Yes, yes, you're quite right." He said simply. "Anyway, Milah found me, weak and bloodied in an alley behind a tavern. She took me into her home, cared for my injuries, and generally showed me compassion. Elizabeth was the only one who ever usually showed me compassion, but Milah. Milah did it because of me, not because of a debt to my brother." He explained.

"When did you fall for her?" Emma whispered, pressing her cheek against his neck.

"We visited the port often. Every time we did, I'd go to her like a moth to a flame. Sometimes I'd go to her with gifts, souvenirs I'd picked up at various ports, other times I'd appear bleeding in need of her care." He explained. "Regardless, she'd open the door, invite me inside and tell me 'Killian, you shouldn't have."

He shuddered. He didn't want to think about this anymore. He couldn't, all he could see was the blood, oh the blood-

"I get visions of the future." Emma said suddenly, breaking him from the memory. "It's a gift received by all Dark Ones." She explained. "It showed Neal, my Neal, Henry's father, dying." He shifted, looking at her, her eyes were firmly planted on Henry's sleeping form.

"He told me it was my fault he was dying. He told me he hated me." She admitted. "So I turned him in." She whispered.

"Turned him in?" He repeated.

"He stole watches before we met, he told me so I called the cops. He got arrested for it." He looked at her confused again.

"Watches? Cops?" He repeated. "Sorry love… I'm unfamiliar with those terms."

Emma broke out into laughter. "Its not important, I returned home without him and went to my best friend's home to lay low. Her mother was the first to realize I was with child." She explained. "I soon realized that if I had this child, if I had Henry, if my mother found out…they would use him, my enemies would leverage him against me. He would be in danger, constant danger." She shook her head. "I couldn't let that happen."

He realized what she did. He had known all along, but he saw the physical toll it had taken on her. It took tremendous bravery to give up her child.

"At first I would appear, pretending to be his Aunt, but Henry eventually figured it out. He's always been a smart boy. He was furious that we all lied to him, but eventually he forgave us." She admitted. "I'm so glad that he forgave us, my greatest fear…is that Henry would grow up like I did, alone and thinking he was unwanted."

He took a broken breath. "He'll never be alone." He promised. "Regardless of what happens in our rescue attempt, this I promise you." He understood being alone and unwanted, understood how it hurt so deeply. Killian would make sure that Henry, a brave clever boy, would never have that scar on his heart, not just for Emma, but for the fact that Killian genuinely cared.

She gave a grateful smile. "Thank you."

Now it was his turn and he knew it.

"A couple months after we met, Bae ran away from home, disappeared without a trace, that's when things with her took a turn. She was so lonely and in so much grief. She couldn't stay there, with him, in her house, with all of Bae's things littering the place. Milah begged me to take her with her one day. She didn't care where, just that we could leave, leave Smee and her despicable husband, maybe even find Bae. I was putty in her hand. I would do anything for her. I left to make arrangements. We were to leave at dawn." He explained. "I think that was the last time I was happy, truly happy until..."

Until he walked into a tower, and saw a blonde haired beauty.

"What happened?" She asked.

"Her husband happened. He approached me, demanded what I was doing sleeping with his wife." His voice shook. "He challenged me for a duel, he knew of our plans to run away. He handed me a sword and challenged me to a duel to defend Milah's honor. He said he wouldn't lose his wife to a coward."

He didn't need to say what happened. Emma had seen his reaction when he hurt the dog-guard in her tower. He hadn't been able to stand up to this man. He ran away.

"I returned the next day, aiming to apologize to Milah, but when I got there…"

He paused, unable to say the words.

"I was with her as she died, I held her, she told me she loved me. I let her down. I remember asking myself what would happen if Bae came back, if he found out what I had done…I always have nightmares of Bae screaming at me, of being so angry. He would tell me it was my fault and eventually, I started to agree. I ran, and now Milah is dead." He admitted.

"It wasn't your fault." Emma insisted.

"I left her son without a mother." He insisted. "If it wasn't for me, she'd still be alive, maybe I was the reason Bae left in the first place, since he never really liked me."

Emma shook her head. "You didn't kill her." She insisted. "You are not a murderer."

She's not just talking about Milah, he can feel these words are for his guilt about Hans too. She forces him to look at her, and he does. He sees her, and she sees him. Killian has never told this story to anyone before, not even Victor and Elizabeth. They knew that first visit when he had returned, broken hearted, tattered and hopeless, but they never knew the story behind it. He may not have told everything to Swan, but he had faith that he would. When he could say the words, he'd tell Swan everything. Right now, he felt too raw, too helpless to shed that emotional armor.

"I've had years to get over it, but I haven't. I still blame myself. It was easier to live with; it was easier when I was nothing. But now, now that I feel worth something, now that I want to be worthy of you…It makes me wonder why I chose now to do something, to actually fight for things that are important to me." He admits.

Emma cuddles deeper into him, understanding radiating off her in waves. "I wonder the same thing. I wonder why I'm willing to let you influence me like this. I wonder how you can see good in me after everything I've done." He turns, kissing her on the top of the head.

"Perhaps we should just both accept it, stop questioning fate and the past?" He wondered aloud. "I accept that I'm willing to fight for you like I've never fought before, and you accept that I see so much good in you Swan. I have faith in you and your choices."

Emma smiled.

Killian slept the rest of the night entangled in Emma, her head in the crook of his neck, his arms wrapped around her. He never slept better.

* * *

A few days later, they showed up to the ball _fashionably_ late, according to Emma.

" _All the royalty love to show up late, so naturally they all show up at the same time_." She had explained. It seemed pretty ridiculous to him, but he was a deckhand, not a prince.

He held Emma's hand as they entered, a bright red dress cutting in all the right places, hair golden like the sun, she sometimes hid it's golden color from the world beneath her platinum exterior, but right now she was light.

She was love.

Bloody hell he loved this woman.

"Do I really have to wear this?" He grumbled as she caught his stare. It was a very…princely attire, the dark brown blazer over the pale dress shirt, but it felt stuffy and tight when he moved.

"Yup." She chuckled, kissing his cheek. "You're my prince charming tonight." He laughed as a blush most certainly took hold. "Besides, you don't see Henry complaining."

He looked over at the lad, seeing the way he scowled at his dress shirt. He looked quite handsome, but obviously unhappy. The lad however probably knew he should keep his complaints to himself.

"I didn't think he'd want to come." Killian inquired.

"He's planning to pick pocket the princess of Camelot, he heard she was to make an appearance with some precious heirloom." Emma explained with a sigh.

"What's his thing with thievery Swan?" He asked honestly. Whenever their backs were turned, it seems like the boy was stealing or swindling, or plotting one of the two.

"When he was 7, I was taking him on an adventure into a nearby village. He was so excited, but then one of the merchants was rude to me. He said a slut like me didn't deserve to wear something so beautiful. I was ready to blow him away with magic but I had Henry with me, I didn't want to draw attention to him. I let the man live, planning on getting retribution afterwards." She began. "But when we walked away, Henry had stolen the man's expensive jewelry. He told me that he thought I was beautiful. It was so sweet." Emma shrugged.

"Ever since then he steals things, he's gotten better with practice, scary good actually. But I never understood why he started in the first place."

Killian did. He understood too well. He'd have a word with Henry about it when this was all over.

They saw the young teen slip away in the crowd, a smirk on his face; it seemed he had spotted his target.

"Welcome!" Exclaimed one of the guards, making them jump. He commanded thier attention with a joyous voice. "The name's Gaston, head guard. Who, may I announce, is next to enter the ball room?" The guard boomed. Killian blinked, not knowing what to say.

"I'm Princess Leia, and this is my betrothed, Prince Charles." Emma said with ease as the guard bowed to her. "Of Alderaan." She continued. He nodded in agreement as the guard announced them and they slipped in undeterred.

"That was close Swan." He said softly.

"Not really, I've been conning my way into balls since I first got away." She admitted, making him raise one brow. "The tales of Princess Leia's attendance to balls stretch back far in this type of crowd's memory." He hadn't expected that.

"I never pegged you for liking this sort of things." He asked carefully. She shrugged, pink in her cheeks.

"I am a princess." She reminded him. "A rebellious princess, but still a princess." Yes, she was, and he was a gentleman. He did the only thing he could do; he gave his hand to her, a smile on his lips.

"Care to dance Princess?" She looked at it with awe before a blush crossed her face. Emma looked adorable when she blushed.

"I don't…I don't know how to do…whatever it is they're doing." She says shyly. It makes his grin only widen.

"I thought you said you went to ball's before?" He asked guiding her towards the dance. "You've never actually participated?"

Emma shook her head. "Mother said dancing was for the royals trying to make themselves look better. No one ever wanted to dance with me. I brought Graham along once, but he was a terrible dancer, I held his heart and still couldn't get him within ten feet of a dance." She mused sarcastically. "Don't tell me you know how to do….whatever it is they're doing?" She challenged, looking around nervously. "We shouldn't, we really should be looking-"

Killian shook his head, holding her hand in his, placing her other around him and then positioning himself. After everything she's done for him, the least he could do was show her how to dance in these types of places. "It's called a waltz." He supplied. "There is only one rule, pick a partner that knows what he's doing" He flirted as she eased into his grip, winking. She seemed surprised as he easily swayed around the floor, perfectly instep with the other couples.

"And how exactly do you know how to do this?" Emma asked in a challenge.

"My brother taught me. He taught me many a skills to woo a lady." He explained. "But the first mate, one of the only members of the crew who was ever kind to me, asked my assistance in teaching his fiancée how to dance before one of the naval balls. He knew I was the only member who would restrain from making an inappropriate pass at her." He explained.

"Because you're a gentleman?" She teased as they drifted around the floor into the sound of the music and the feel of the dance. It was nice, existing with Emma, watching her lose a bit of her tension, to just be. The Dark One was here, he was dancing with her, falling for her a little more with each passing day.

"Because I was dancing with my little sister." He explained. Emma blinked in surprise. "Half-sister." He corrected. Emma didn't reply at first.

"You get more mysterious by the day don't you?" She prodded. He grinned.

"Likewise Swan. You mentioned this Graham fellow…As did Henry." He said curiously. She shifted uncomfortably, and Killian realized the conversation wasn't light enough for the dance, so he switched it, or he would have had he not seen something that was not expected but had him grinning from ear to ear. Swan however would probably not find it so amusing.

"What?" Emma asked, trying to turn her head to see what he was watching. He lifted his head, desiring to see her reaction. Now that would be amusing!

"I'm going to spin you, Swan." He warned her as he leaned in. She easily went along, allowing him a look at her dress's skirt fluttering. She looked so beautiful.

"Who's that girl talking to my son?!" She hissed, smile disappearing, a protective scowl appeared in its place. Killian adored every part of her, and right now, he _adored_ the protective look on her face.

The girl in question was a petite brunette, tanned skin and a lilac dress. She was laughing with Henry, hand on his shoulder. "Why I believe that's Camelot's princess Swan." He murmured, the girl nervously pushed her hair away avoiding his eyes as her cheeks flushed at whatever Henry had said before replying. Henry blushed at whatever that reply was. "He looks quite smitten."

She growled under her breath. "I thought she would be older, like a pick pocket type of job not-" Emma shook her head. "Maybe I should go over there and-" He grabbed her back as she started to.

"Give the lad his moment; I'll keep an eye on your boy." He told her. "Make sure they don't _disappear_ into any empty rooms." He snickered.

"Killian!" She hissed, staring at the girl with daggers. He just laughed.

"Only jesting Swan, aren't we here with a particular reason as well?" Emma nodded, pulling him close, pressing a kiss on his lips before backing away leaving him wanting more.

"When I get back, I plan to find myself an empty room Captain." She gave him a wink before leaving his side and fluttering off in search of her target.

Killian smiled as a blush crept across his face. "Bloody minx." He cursed.

"No cursing here dearie, there are children present." His blood froze in his veins, he knew that voice, that chosen word of endearment, he knew it too well. Killian turned around slowly. The man stood tall and powerful, in his fifties at least, dressed in a deep blue coat, accented with none other than gold. "It's been a long time deckhand." He sneered.

 _No. Not him, anyone but him, what the bloody hell is he doing here!_

Killian shivered, nodding. "Yes. Yes it has." His voice dull, mentally shifting between fear and acceptance. He honestly wasn't sure which, after all this time running, maybe it was time to just accept it. The man turned, pointing to one of the adjacent rooms.

"I believe you and I are in need of a little chat." He ordered in a light voice. "You wouldn't want your new lady to hear would you? Tell me, she married too?" Killian scowled.

"Its bad form to leave a party before the guest of honor makes an appearance." Killian replied evenly. "The sorcerer and his family have yet to make themselves known." He insisted, hoping to buy some time, think of a way out of this mess, he hadn't even told Emma that Milah...

The man smiled his snide smile. "Oh, but I _am_ the sorcerer." He gave an emphasized boy, waving his hands around. " _Rumpelstiltskin_ at your service."

* * *

Well originally I wanted to post this Sunday night right after 5x12 ends, but unfortunately, life will prevent me from doing so. Its either post now or be forced to skip a week, something I couldn't do to my loyal readers.

(But I will be seeing the episode right on time, and probably be suffering the angst I'm sure will come because our beloved Killian is in the Underworld!)

Besides that, I couldn't have picked a better chapter to be the last hiatus one, I mean seriously, based on one of the most crucial scenes for this pairing EVER. I'm glad it worked out like that.

andria: I'm glad you liked the bartender warning. I hope the ball lives up to your expectations, we're going to be here a while.

Happy day (or so) before Once comes back!

~Luna


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter 7

A Sorcerer's Wife

She wandered around, looking and searching for light magic, keeping an ear open for any gossip.

"Hello! You must be Leia." Said a cheery voice, making her look up. A woman approached her, hands extended, brown curls contrasting against her yellow dress. "I'm Belle, and this is my lady in waiting, Clorinda." She introduced. The second woman had darker skin and black hair, dressed in dark burgundy.

Emma forced a smile, taking her hand between both of hers. "Leia of Alderaan." She introduced.

"Belle of Avelon, but most people here know me as the mother of the birthday boy." She laughed, it made Emma look at her with shock. Clorinda stifled a laugh.

"You married the Sorcerer?" She exclaimed. Emma had imagined the sorcerer being kind of old, despite the fact that his son was four, this woman didn't look at all like Emma had pictured.

She had heard that he had met a beauty in a local village, a girl down on her luck and had fallen madly in love, she was supposed to be humble and polite and could find the good in anyone. Belle just nodded happily, showing off the large diamond on her finger, it seemed to glow with white magic. "Isn't it beautiful?" The woman in front of her, while gorgeous, didn't sound humble at all.

"Very Milady!" Clorinda agreed when Emma didn't comment on the rock on her dainty finger.

"He's just my Rumple to me," Belle insisted, narrowing her eyes "So where is Alderaan? I'm an avid book reader and I've never heard of it, Clorinda, have you heard of it?" She asked. Emma tightened her gaze, ready to name a dozen or so facts if the woman suspected anything.

"No milady, but I'm not as avid a book reader as you are. Belle here absolutely adores books and knowledge." The woman explained. "Knowledge is power after all."

Emma couldn't tell if she was curious or searching for a reason to find fault in her story, but she didn't like the ominous way their words struck her. "In a realm far far away." She settled on, growing tired of the conversation she decided to jump straight to the point.

"Lady Belle, where is your husband? I'm needing to speak to him. It's quite urgent."

Belle nodded enthusiastically. "Of course, he's just dealing with an intrusion from his past, a party crasher." She drawled. "As a fellow member of royalty, you must know how _annoying_ they could be. Always wanting to drink and steal our things, dance with our guests. Rumple is usually very good about keeping them out, I'll have you know, needless to say, this one won't be othering us again."

Emma felt herself tense, gazing around in search of her boys while finding the wife actually getting more annoying by the second. Emma found that she was sounding like most of the other regels she had known during her youth, rich and pompous and worst of all entitled. "I understand _completely_ " She agreed, eyes not leaving the dance floor.

Henry was dancing with the Camelot girl but Killian…

"Are you looking for that prince of yours?" Belle asked, poking her head around. Emma nodded silently, gazing over the tops of dukes and duchesses, of knights and royals. Emma had a bad feeling in her chest as he was nowhere in sight. "How long have you two been betrothed?" The lady in waiting asked with a small grin. "He looks quite charming."

She eyed the woman carefully.

"A few weeks." She said curtly, she wanted to use her magic to locate him, but knew that would alert the Sorcerer and ruin any sort of chance she had of having a civil conversation. "I need to find him; he gets nervous in these types of situations." She chuckled. "Puts his foot in his mouth, don't want him to cause an international incident, you know how prickly royalty can be." She reasoned.

Belle laughed. "I hope you find him."

Emma replied with a smile. Her too.

"Hey Violet, one sec, I need to tell my aunt something." Said a voice behind her, Henry quickly appeared at her side. "Mom, are you alright?" her son asked carefully, looking around the ballroom for threats. She nodded. "Are we made?"

Emma could see the Camelot girl watching Henry with a big grin, waiting his return. "No, I just…I misplaced the sailor." She replied keeping her worry at bay.

"He left with someone, and he didn't look happy about it." Henry told her.

"With who?" She demanded lightly.

"I don't know, I was going to follow, but he saw me and shook his head, he didn't want me to. He went that way." Henry explained pointing to an adjacent door.

"Thank you Henry." She breathes, ruffling his hair before making a bee line for the door.

It's as she opens it that she hears the voices.

"I see you finally found your courage Deckhand." Someone taunts.

"I see you finally stuck around Sorcerer." Killian sneers right back.

The blue coat hold a sparkling gold sword against her sailor's neck, Killian;s sword is thrown to the side, as he's on his knees, half sitting up, holding his arm painfully. It looks like she walked into the end of a badly one-sided swordfight.

"What the hell is going on here?" She growls, it takes every bit of her self-control not to throw this man back. The man looks at her, but doesn't move the weapon.

"How rude, my apologies, dealing with some rift-raft, I'll be with you in a moment madam." He says politely. All it does is make her even angrier.

"I am not a madam." She snaps, getting closer. "That's my fiancée you have your blade on, so unless you want me to get involved, and trust me you do not want me involved, get away from him." She hissed dangerously.

"Leia love, it's fine. Nothing to concern yourself with." Killian has the gall to say, eyeing her carefully. "Just a couple of old friends catching up." He says darkly.

"We are not friends." The blue coat snaps, pressing the blade a bit deeper, Killian doesn't flinch, instead he raised his head higher, eyeing the man with a daring look. He was daring this man to kill him.

Killian chuckles. "Yes, I suppose we're not."

She wants him to shut up so she can get them out of this.

"Don't you dare princess." He warns, looking at her. "This is my fight."

 _His fight._ Emma hated those words. This was _their_ fight so long as they both had something to lose.

"Brave words from a coward." The man taunted.

"I am not a coward." He growled, shoving the sword away, and getting to his feet. "And you aren't going to kill me." Kilian stalked over to the man, hands clenched at his side. He was visibly shaking, but in rage, not fear. "That would ruin all that Light magic you acquired wouldn't it Sorcerer?" He dared. "You were never one who liked to lose your power."

 _Sorcerer? Killian is enemies with the Sorcerer?_

Now that was going to make things complicated.

The man growled his way, before trying to contain himself. "I may not be able to kill you, but I can still ruin you like you ruined me, you destroyed my family!" The man turned and looked at her.

Killian tensed, stepping in the way.

"Don't you dare look at her _; you ruined your own bloody family_!" Killian seethed.

"Princess Leia I recall?" The man introduced, ignoring Killian. "I'm sorry to be the one to break it to you, but _Prince Charles_ here is no royalty."

Emma played the part well, realizing that he didn't know who she was, not yet.

"Charles? Is that true?" She demanded.

Killian kept his eyes on the sorcerer.

"You tell her, and I'll tell your wife all about it as well." Killian warned. The man waved his hand, throwing him back towards the far wall, a curtain wrapping around his chest pinning him there.

"Indeed it is Princess, but that's not the greatest of his sins. He seduced a married woman and plotted to steal her away. He drove her son away so she would go with him." He continued, all things Emma already knew, just warped to make Killian the villain.

"Bae left because you would rather parade around under the title of knight rather than be there for your boy!" Killian shouted. "Face it, _I_ was more of a _father_ to that boy, more of a _husband_ to your wife."

Emma blinked. _This is Milah's husband?! Bae's father?_ She hadn't expected that.

"But his worse sin, was he promised her he'd fight for her but when it came down to it, that man is too much of a coward to do a single thing. He couldn't fight for his love, how is he going to fight for you dearie?" Emma saw Killian flinch.

 _She remembered Hans, blood seeping through his royal robes, eyes unseeing._

 _She remembered the faraway look, the rage. The endless rage._

 _She remembered drowning, waking up to him breathing life into her._

"You're wrong." She snapped. "I came here to earn your good graces, but if you continue to talk to Killian like this, I will get angry." She warned.

"Killian? Why I believe I heard you introduce him as Charles" The man said cautiously, raising his sword towards her.

She crossed her arms, hiding her frustration for her rookie move. She knew better than to slip up like that, but she just couldn't help it. He was ruining Killian's good name. "Couldn't have my father know I had fallen for a deckhand." She chuckled. "He's always so protective of his darling baby girl."

The man looked at Killian, he flashed an angry grin as Killian was dropped to the floor roughly. He went to the sword, picking it up, eyeing the man carefully. She could tell he really wanted to strike at him again, but he didn't.

"Anyway, this is actually just what I came here for, to speak with you." She replied. "Sorcerer." He looked at her curiously.

"Oh, well, Rumplestiltskin at your service." He introduced. "Sorcerer of Light Magic." She heard Killian grumble as he went to stand by her side, entire body wrought with tension.

"A friend of mine was captured by the Queen." She started. "And you." She stated accusingly.

"You don't waste time do you Princess?" The man chuckled.

"Leia is fine." She replied, tired of that title. She actually hated it, her mother's old pet name for her, it had surprised her how delightful it felt to hear her sailor turn that hated term to something endearing.

The man put down his sword, looking at her curiously, waving over a table and two chairs, leaving Killian to stand. "I assume you think I can help you rescue her? Sorry to inform you, I don't do recues anymore-"

Emma shook her head. "Your magic undid their protection spell. I want an explanation, and your word that you won't undo the protection spell a second time. The people you helped hand over to the Queen, they are good people."

He looked at her before narrowing towards Killian. She suppressed her protective instincts to keep him from looking at her sailor, especially when he pulled Killian towards him with his magic. He grabbed his arm, pulling back his sleeve that hid the bandages over his wrist and hand once he was close enough, making him hiss in pain.

"Hey! Get your hands off him." She started rising.

"You have me curious Leia." The man reasoned with a knowing smirk. "Coming in here, with this cowardly deckhand who's been burned by dark magic, asking about prisoners who were protected by the same dark magic."

Emma blinked.

"Hurt by dark magic?" She asked, looking at Killian. "Burned." She repeated, voice shaking.

 _No. I wouldn't. I have control, I could never-_

"Let go of me." He demanded trying to pull away. "You don't know what you're talking about." He growled.

"Relax deckhand. Dark magic doesn't heal naturally, unless you know another magician, you're going to want me to heal it." He grumbled.

"I don't want your magic! I don't want anything from you." He roared, pulling away. Emma leapt to her feet. Grabbing his arm, just above the wrist.

"Let me see." She ordered. "Killian!" She growled, gripping it.

"Love, let me explain." He breathed, other hand cupping her cheek. She pulled way the bandage, seeing the damaged skin, red with no sign of healing, she rested her hand over it, feeling for the magic.

 _Please, let it be Elsa, or Ingrid, or anyone but…_

There was no mistaking it.

"I told you I'd ruin you deckhand." The Sorcerer crackled. "Although I never pictured you to be involved with the Dark One, I suppose Milah is better off than to see how far you've fallen." He turned, keeping her behind him.

"Shut the hell up! You-" She pulled him back, Killian was losing it. He was about to snap and do something we would both regret.

"Killian. Look at me." He did, calming down a fraction.

"Sorcerer, I need your word that you'll keep away from them, and don't pretend you don't know who I'm talking about." Emma warned, eyes still locked with blue ones.

"And why would I do that? I'm protecting the kingdom, they are allied with the Dark One." He warned, "Thankfully, she is locked up, but still, they should not be free to torment these people." He declared.

"What about her son?" Emma asked, glancing his way. "Are you really prepared to leave a boy without his family? His mother? His grandmother?"

He flinched. "A son?"

Killian nodded. "He's the same age Bae was." He supplied. "Leave another boy without a mother, _real_ heroic, wouldn't you say?" He added sarcastically.

The Sorcerer clenched his fist. He was about to respond when little feet bolted into the room, leaping into Rumpelstiltskin's arms.

"Papa!" He pulled him up, swinging him, all hints of malicious intent fades when his son enters the room.

It's the birthday boy, Emma had yet to see the kid, a head filled with blonde hair and bright green eyes. "Pawty!" he exclaimed.

"Neal, my boy, what are you doing here?" He asked.

"Mama said to come get you. But then I got lost." He explained, voice with that sweetness children have at that point.

"Auntie. I fount you." Said a second voice, Emma turned seeing Henry and the princess. He looked towards the sorcerer. "I remember you." He said suddenly. This is the man that helped them take away Moma." Eyes wide. The princess grabbed his hand, giving him a comforting look.

Henry really knew how to use his youth to his advantage.

"Yes Henry he is." She breathed, pulling him towards her (and away from the princess, he was her little boy, he wasn't allowed to look at a girl yet)

"Daddy, Henwy found me and bwought me to you!" Neal exclaimed. "He said he wanted you help, you'll help him papa, you a hero!" He said enthusiastically.

The man smiled, looking towards them with contained anger. "Yes. You have my word."

Emma smiled nodding gratefully, a hand on Killian, they had to talk later. She started to lead them away, when Neal started squirming in Rumpelstiltskin's arms, the boy dropped down grabbing Henry's hand.

"Henwy! Violet! You can't leave yet! We haven't even had cake yet!" He squealed. It brought a smile to her face, remembering Henry at that age. Her boy looked at her, pleading. She nodded.

"Once you finish your cake, we'll be leaving." She warned him, in other words, slip away as soon as possible.

The three ran out into the ball room, leaving it to be the adults again. Rumpelstiltskin nodded and Emma quickly took her sailor back to the ball room, dropping her touch as soon as they were out. Rumpelstiltskin moved past them towards Belle's side, he kissed the brunette's cheek..

"Is that his wife?" Killian asked in a near snap. She would have snapped back, but she could see how tense and frustrated Killian was already, he needed to calm down. He was trembling in anger and pain. She placed her hand over his flinched fist.

"Yes." Emma said, voice expressionless. "Her name is Belle, most annoying woman I've ever had the displeasure of meeting, can't believe she's a librarian." Emma muttered, recalling her earlier conversation.

"Hmm." Killian muttered before sighing and turning to her, dropping whatever thought he had in his head. "I can assume that you are mad at me." Killian whispered in her ear, getting closer to her. She pulled away. She didn't, couldn't risk burning him again. She couldn't believe that she had done that, to Killian, how could she have hurt Killian and not even know it?

"That you lied to me? That I had burned you and you didn't tell me? That you knew the sorcerer?" She hissed back, pushing his hands away from her.

"In my defense, he wasn't a sorcerer when I knew him." Killian reminded her. "As for the burn, I knew you would act like this. I honestly thought it would heal and you' never have to know."

She huffed in annoyance, ready to reply when she heard horns, announcement horns. She felt a chill in the air, a familiar chill, the chill of magic.

Dark magic.

Feelings surged through her, rage, anger, vengeance as well as fear, hurt and the desire to run.

She grabbed a hold of Killian in reflex, burying her face in his chest, holding onto him like a lifeline as well as a way to keep anyone from seeing her face. He seemed surprised, but didn't hesitate, to pull her closer and kiss her on the head, asking what the matter was.

"Please don't tell me…" She whispered. "They can't be…"

"Now announcing Queen Snow and her loyal Huntsman!"

It was.

* * *

Omg. I just watched that last episode...and the promo...at least 10 times (the promo, not the episode)

Omg...it broke me. Omg...Killian. Next episode...I need the week to fly by. Like seriously.

This chapter has a whole other slew of problems and revelations for our poor Killian,

(but I still can't get over the episode so...)

Evil Queen Snow makes her first appearance! Yay!

Guest reviews:

andria: Yeah, I was planning that from day one, and am glad that regardless of my clues, it was a surprise. More surprises to come I assure you. We're in for a bumpy ride. But nothing comes easy to this ship, makes the adventure fun!

Guest: Emma will find out...eventually. Hope you liked her entrance, tried to base it as much as I could on Regina's entrance. Hope you liked Rumplestiltskin.

Rumple was REALLY hard to write, since he's a villain and has his greed as one of his main character traits, but at the same time, he's a hero here,so...

Anyway, I'm about to rant furiously on both episodes...Doubt dose of my opinion. Skip if you want, skip if you haven't seen Souls of the Departed and Labor of Love.

Ok.

And now I shall vent about both episodes.

5x12:

Regina solving some of the family issues she had was really sweet and well needed. It sort of is like a new start for her, and Robin and Henry and Roland and the unnamed child. (I hope she gets a name before she starts walking) Emma was so sad the entire time, especially when she saw Killian all battered. I think once enough souls pass on, and the clock reaches a certain point, something important is going to happen. That's my guess. Cora turned to a miller again! That was great! Perfect Hell for someone so terrible. So ironic. I guess thats the last we'll see of her minus flashbacks.

5x13:

Omg Killllian!

That scene in the jail, "When you love someone, you just know." It killed me. Seriously, the feels. I loved it. He looks so hurt, I just can't wait for the reunion, its going to be great! Hercules and Snow was adorable, simply adorable. Even though Snowing is so Canon that any thought of them apart burns this shipper's soul, that little kiddy romance was perfect. It does make me think we'll see that spot over the fire alot as people move on. Its like Heaven's junction point as far as I can tell, I was sort of upset that Meg and Hercules didn't have the sort of romance relationship that I expected, Meg seemed like a damsel, and she was the one female of that era who...wasn't.

But Hades, omg such an awesome villain, I hate him, but love how evil he is. I thought Zelena was bad but this is so much worse. The whole creepy thing with the grave stones was awful, poor Killian. We all know he isn't going to pick anyone, and that's not going to be good. But Emma's going to save him. That I'm sure of. She has to. Rumple...I hope he doesn't mess everything up. I honestly don't think he will, I think they're trying to redeem him...slowly.

Is it next Sunday yet?

Please?

~Luna


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter 8

A Gift

He was still shaking from his confrontation with damn Rumpelstiltskin.

Milah's husband was the sorcerer? How more messed up could this be? He knew that her husband was some legendary hero, but having obtained magic for his damn nobleness? It made him sick.

The man had wanted to talk to him, ask him why he was here, if he planned on ruining the man's new family too. Killian couldn't help reply with sarcasm and annoyance, but assured the man he had no interest in the man's, what had he called it? Ah, meager replacement to Milah.

Needless to say, a supposed to be peaceful talk turned into a sword fight, the same sword fight he was supposed to have nearly a decade ago. It ended just how he expected it to, he couldn't take down the knight, but at least this time, this time he tried. He even got a glancing blow on the man, cutting his too perfect dress shirt.

But he found a sword at his throat, and anger raging through his veins. He dared the man to do it, kill him, with no thought of the repercussions, Killian was just too angry to think straight.

And then Swan appeared, like a red glow, her hair, previously up, had fallen. The second he saw her, a bit of his anger diminished, the self-destructing kind at least, the kind that imagined the darkness swirling into this man after killing him in cold blood.

She made demands, just as he expected of his Swan, but she didn't need to, he was the damn sorcerer, had he been the knight, he probably would have killed him, perhaps cut off a hand before hand, but he had his damn light magic, his blood wouldn't taint it.

 _"Why don't you ask him to stay home longer with you and Bae?" Killian asked one day. He loved Milah, all he wanted was her happiness, even if that didn't include him._

 _"I've tried, he won't. The longer he's not fighting, the less influence he has with the other soldiers. My husband may appear as this noble character, but he is nothing without power."_

If he tainted his light magic, then he'd lose his power. He'd given up his family to keep his influence strong; he wouldn't throw it all away to kill him.

But when The Sorcerer started threatening, threatening to ruin his future, tell Swan what he did, who he was. It enraged him, sure Emma knew about most of it already, but the thought that this man, the man who was supposed to be some sort of hero, would ruin his happiness just to spite him…it sickened him. He'd found a loophole, what was he some royal? Always finding ways to spill blood without getting his hands dirty?

Make no mistake, his hands were drenched in Milah's blood.

Just like Killian's.

However, the man did worse. Damn Rumpelstiltskin told Swan about the _burns_ , about how _The Dark One_ had burned him. He called it proof of Killian's mischief, of a betrayal, of how Killian was dabbling forces that he didn't understand. _How he was making deals with the bloody Dark One._

Irony was, that it was he who did not understand, he didn't understand that he was in the presence of the Dark One, that she was here in a blood red dress, pretending to be a princess of a far off land that didn't exist.

He had revealed to his Swan that _she_ had hurt him. He could see the guilt in her eyes as she refused to react for the knight, but Swan couldn't hide it from Killian. He could see it plain as day.

This was _exactly_ why he didn't want to tell her! They barely hurt when he didn't flex the skin, he assumed that they would heal on their own, if they didn't. He'd find someone to heal it and she would never have to know. He wanted to protect her.

Thankfully though, the man's son, a blonde haired child who looked nothing like the dark haired boy Killian once knew, came running in, interrupted the tense standoff. He was relieved at that, Henry looked enough like Bae, if he saw a mirrored image in the man's new life, new son, Killian didn't know what he'd do.

But after the interruption, Emma and Killian managed to walk right out of a potentially bad situation, after all, he was supposed to be the vanquisher of all evil, and here walked in the epitome of evil into his home.

Killian wanted to instantly apologize to Emma, but knew if he tried, it would come out forced.

He really just wanted to punch a wall.

He watched the man and his boy that wasn't Bae go to a woman in a gold dress; kiss her on the cheek, lovingly, as if he'd never loved Milah, as if he hadn't destroyed her.

 _He approached the cottage one day a little earlier. He saw from a distance, that there were two adults there. It didn't take him long to realize that Milah and her husband were there._

 _"Where is he?!" The man yelled angrily._

 _"Gone! Weren't you listening to me? He's gone! He ran away!" She shrieked._

 _His heart sunk as he ducked back. He tried to listen because the obvious conclusion was impossible._

 _"You're lying." He declared. "My enemies must have took him! I'll find out who! I'll find my son." Killian could feel his heart break. Bae was gone._

 _"He ran away because he knows you don't love us, not as much as your power, you're never here, you come home and barely look at Baelfire, you don't even kiss me hello, face it, you never loved me. You never loved him. You love your power too much!" She shouted._

 _Killian heard the sound of things breaking and Milah screaming before the man stormed out._

He clenched his fists. If he had cared about Milah, saw what was really going on, actually bothered to pay attention, Milah wouldn't be dead.

 _She wouldn't have died if her damn husband hadn't kept them from escaping!_

He suddenly felt Emma's hand over his fist, when had he clenched it? Killian didn't remember.

"Yes." She replied. "Her name is Belle, most _annoying_ woman I've ever had the displeasure of meeting, can't believe she's a librarian." Emma explained her voice with a tinge of annoyance. He knew she didn't want to talk about them; she wanted to talk about what he had kept hidden from her.

Walking away, he could feel her tense, her anger raging. But he had a feeling that whatever anger she had towards him, there was just as much directed at herself, maybe more. It was the very thing he was trying to avoid. He didn't know what he could say to make it better, here in the middle of a party. Dancing guests and royalty.

But Killian couldn't help stare at the brunette beauty for another moment. She was a _librarian_. Something about that was raising an alarm in his head.

He turned back to Swan, pulling her close, whispering in her ear as to not get overheard. "I can assume that you are mad at me." He observed. Swan pushed him away but not out of anger, out of hatred, of fear.

 _She didn't want to hurt him. So she'd push him away instead._

"That you lied to me? That I had burned you and you didn't tell me? That you knew the sorcerer?" She accused. He pulled his hands away, hoping to drown out her self-hatred with a grin and a cheeky reply.

"In my defense, he wasn't a sorcerer when I knew him." He said, just a jerk and a bully who liked the idea of a wife and child he supposedly was trying to protect with his heroics. "As for the burn, I knew you would act like this." He directed. She opened her mouth to give an angry retort but her anger faded in an instant, her eyes turned distant.

"Love?" He questioned worried as she turned and crashed into him, holding him so tightly, like she thought he was going to vanish, his Emma was practically trembling. "Swan, what's wrong?" He whispered but she wasn't listening, he doubted she could even hear him. He wrapped her tighter, pleading to her to tell him what had happened, what was wrong.

 _"Now announcing Queen Snow and her loyal Huntsman!"_

Then he knew. He held her tighter, seeing Henry's gaze from across the way, a searching gaze. The boy was looking at his mother. Killian turned Emma so he could try and prevent the boy from seeing how shaken the Queen's appearance was to her. He nodded to the boy, he was looking just as afraid as his mother. He started backing right out of the castle, his princess at his heel.

But Killian didn't move, he wanted to see, he knew the significance of the Queen, knew of her fierce and fiery temper, how she ruled with an iron fist, but he wanted to see her in all her glory.

And see he did. Her skin was pale, hair short and raised, dark as a raven, mouth as red as blood. She came in dressed in a deep red leather dress matching her lips, cut low, but what really drew him, were the Queen's eyes, they were dark and empty.

Emma's had always been dark, but they were wild too, wild with life.

The Queen was just darkness, darkness and hate. He'd mistaken her as the true Dark One any day.

It made him shivers, leading his date further away.

"Let's go love." He whispered. She nodded into him.

"Oh where oh where is the birthday boy?" Snow called triumphantly. He froze looking at the little Neal, waving at him at the back of the castle mid escape. He stopped in his tracks, smiling sheepishly at the little boy before going to stand with the little toddler to meet the Queen. He glanced from Emma to Henry.

"Emma, does your mother know about Henry? Has she ever seen him?" He asked quickly, recalling how his cutlass was resting on the floor in the chamber he'd been in earlier, but had Emma said the word, he'd rush up there and rip Henry off the platform and bolt as fast as his legs could carry him.

Emma shook her head, lifting it briefly, stealing a glance at the woman.

"I-I-I" She stuttered. "I can't go back. I can't." He pushed her towards the back of the ballroom.

"You won't, I promise, I'll keep you safe, I'll keep them from finding you." He vowed. "And if I ever fail you, I'll always come and bust you out, I'll always be there. I'll always come running back to you for as long as you want me."

She smiled, kissing him softly.

"She doesn't know who he is to me, just that I'm a friend to his family." She replied softly.

"Good." He breathed.

"Hi Neal." Snow said, Killian turned his head back to the scene. The crowd backed up as the four year old confronted the Queen, completely unaware at her reputation; she'd sooner rip out your beating heat than smile. The royal picked up his hand in her gloved fingers, leading them over to a chair, a thrown, sitting him up on her lap. Her huntsman at her side "I hear it's your birthday." She said gently.

"Yes ma'am" The boy replied happily, oblivious to the evil in the woman, to the shock in the others, she was never this nice nor kind to anyone. "Papa says you give me a pwesent every yeaw on my biwthday."

The Queen nodded, petting his blonde hair.

"Yes I do, now do you know what I gave you last year little one?"

Emma turned looking over at the scene carefully, but didn't let him go.

"This necklace! It's my favorite, mama doesn't like it but I do." He said boldly, the queen smiled, holding out her hand.

"May I?" The boy nodded, letting her take off the silver chain. "This chain represents all the connections you'll make with the people around you." She began. "I gave it to you on your first birthday." She motioned to the middle charm. "This is a shield, meant to protect you from danger." Then the next. "A sword, to remind you to be brave, like your father."

Rumpelstiltskin puffed up his chest, standing tall besides the petite brunette. They were watching the scene closely, not that he blamed them, the Queen of the realm was holding their baby boy. The Queen kept her gaze fixed on the child, her servant glaring at the proud parents.

"Are you going to give me another charm?" The boy asked hopefully.

She chuckled, waving her hand, a golden charm appearing in her hand, she placed it in his.

"A compass!" The boy squealed.

"So you always find your family, so you'll always find your way home." He felt Emma pull back into him, shaking violently. He bent down a fraction to look at her.

"Relax love. It's going to be ok." Emma shook her head. She was on the verge of freaking out.

"What are they doing? Why are they giving him that?!" She hissed, her hand going to her throat, rubbing and scratching at her skin at something that wasn't there.

Killian didn't understand, but something about the gifts was greatly distressing Emma.

Then suddenly, the calm party, erupted into chaos. He could feel tension in the air as Killian turned back towards the crowd, her eyes landing squarely on Emma and him. The blonde shivered.

"Dark One! I knew I felt your dark magic!" She roared, eyes of ice turning to liquid fire. "Guards! Get her!" He didn't waste a moment, grabbing Emma's hand and pulling her away as guards started filtering though the crowds of confused party goers.

"Time to go Swan." He informed her, grabbing her hand as they turned to the nearest exit. "Too bad we didn't get to have any cake." He snickered, getting an eye roll from Swan.

"I'll say." She muttered under her breath sarcastically. They ducked behind a column before a trio dashed past them.

People were running every which way in panic. They could hear the screams if panic, and children wailing.

(It was a party for a four year old after all)

"Henry!" She hissed as they got back up and ran out the door towards one of the balconies; she was looking back with a wide eyed look. He could feel every fiber of her being wanted to ensure that Henry got out, but before they could make move, black guards spotted them. He pulled out his sword, stopping in his tracks, getting ready for a fight.

(Thankfully Emma had magic-ed it back to his side)

They wanted Emma. They wanted to take her away, lock her up. She looked shaken at the thought. Killian knew what he had to do. He turned towards her.

"Go. I'll take care of Henry. Get out of here; I'll meet you somewhere safe. Get out while you can." He told her.

"No! Come on, lets stick together, get out of it together!" She insisted, grabbing his other hand with both of his own.

"I'm sure you can get out of here with ease without me." He insisted. Emma gave a small nod in confirmation. "Emma love. We'll be fine. I promise. I would never let anything happen to the lad." He told her. But she didn't look surprised, she looked like she wanted to argue but she didn't."

"Don't die Killian." She begged, "Please." It was a small voice, much smaller than any he'd ever heard from her.

"Well, if you insist." He said with a smirk, bringing a slight smile to her face as she kissed his cheek, before vanishing into thin air. He turned around just long enough to block a sword aimed at his throat. Two of them struck out at him, making him back away, barely blocking their assault.

"Where's the Dark One?" They asked in a gruff voice.

"I don't know what you're talking about." He growled back, disarming the first man. "I came for the rum mate." He blocked another blow, backing up a step, finding his back against the edge. Killian was at the risk of falling backward off the castle wall.

"He's telling the truth." Said a smooth voice. The men nodded at the presence in the corner, shrouded in darkness. "Go, search another area." She ordered. "I want her found!"

Killian moved slightly, but felt himself freeze as the figures eyes locked on him, like a rat under the gaze of a snake.

"Prince Charles." The figure addressed. "Where's your princess?"

He recognized the voice vaguely.

"I don't know lass, probably fleeing like many of your other guests." He said carefully, watching how her cloak fluttered in the wind. "Thank you for stopping those men, I appreciate it." He said simply, tensing, feeling the need to flee, to find Henry.

"You're a bad liar." She snarled. "Where is she?" The woman snapped, taking a step closer to him, grabbing him by the collar, and pushing his head off the balcony, dagger at his throat. Killian recognized the dagger.

"Ah, glad to see you've joined us L-" Her cloak fell due to the wind. It wasn't Lacey's face, or at least not all of it.

He was staring at Belle, the Sorcerer's wife. He recognized her, the golden dress, the dark curls but there was something else, when he looked closer, he saw Lacey's eyes, her hands, heard her voice.

There was only one logical conclusion. She looked at him carefully, he could see a brief bit of panic. She was unsure if he saw through her game.

(he did, but she didn't need to know that)

"Lady Belle." He finished quickly. "My, now I know what that man saw in you, not the helpless beauty are you love?" He asked.

She eased, placing a proud smile on her face. "No. You brought the Dark One into my home, into my son's party. Rumple called you a harmless nuisance; he called you a stupid fool. Are you a fool?" She asked, blade deepening, but not cutting, never cutting.

 _Lacey can't hurt you Killian, the deal physically prevents it._

"A fool never believes he is a fool, lass." He remarked. "Are you a fool?" He countered. "You married a power obsessed man after all."

She let out an angry huff, releasing him. "And you are a dirty party crasher." She snapped. "And are being manipulated by the darkness, let us help you."

The Darkness this and the Darkness that. What did Killian care? It was all Emma.

"It's only manipulation if you don't know it's happening." He said simply. "That's where you and I differ, _love_." He usually only called Emma love, but the maiden's face flushed up with rage.

"His heart is true." She insisted. He leaned in closer to the lass so that he could see Lacey's eyes.

"Is yours?" He whispered, leaning forward. "Tell me, is you lady having fun?" He asked making sure she knew exactly what he was referring to.

 _Don't worry Marian, darling, you'll have your fun soon._

She didn't respond. Killian enjoyed the panic returning, he could taunt her with the truth all night, but that didn't help his cause, it didn't help Henry. "You did promise her a good time, darling." He reminded her.

Belle/Lacy smiled. "You know nothing pirate. I hope you realize the truth as she rips out your heart."

Suddenly a bolt of purple appeared in his frame of vision, before letting out a piercing scream.

"The Dark One!" She cried. "Over there! She's ripping out hearts!" There was an extra cry of fear, the teen was positively shaking. Belle gave him a look before turning with a huff and leaving him alone on the balcony.

Killian took a single breath before he went to follow the teen, fearing what had caused her to go so far as to killing again, had she run into her mother? The Sorcerer? Had they hurt her? Just as he passed the brunette girl, all fear vanishing from hazel eyes and she grabbed his arm.

"Are you Mr. Jones?" She asked timidly. He nodded dumbly, her grip tightened as she smiled brightly, pulling him in the opposite direction. "This way!" He followed, suddenly realizing why she looked familiar…

"Who are you lass?" He asked. She smiled sheepishly.

"Princess Violet Equesta of Camelot." She introduced with the tiniest of curtsy.

Wasn't that the lass he'd seen with Henry? That he was with trying to con? He smiled, recalling the flustered lad dancing with the princess. He knew the instant connection when he saw it.

 _Finally met your match haven't you lad?_

"We're almost there." She insisted.

"Where are we going lass?" He prodded as she expertly took him through the corridor of rooms, dodging view of their pursuers.

"Your Henry's Uncle right?" She asked. He scratched behind his ear.

"Not exactly." He replied. "I'm friends with his aunt."

The teen rolled her eyes. "Sure, _friends_." He sighed.

"How about you and Henry lass? You're taking quite the risk for someone you just met." He prodded, it made the princess blush.

"My dad's been trying to get me to meet a nice suitor, it's why I'm here." She explained quietly as they waited for the stairs to clear. "But Henry's different. I can't explain it." Her cheeks were pink.

"He's an interesting lad." Killian agreed. "Very brave."

Violet smiled. "Yeah." She blushed.

"You're pretty brave too Princess, not many would risk to help people they barely know, or even know as the Dark One." He prodded.

A smirk flashed across her face. "Please, _everyone_ knows that the Queen is a liar, I never believe a word she says." She says boldly. "So when she said Henry's Aunt was a threat to the kingdom, I knew what I had to do."

What Killian would do to have that sort of bravery at that or any age.

It didn't take long before the young princess took him to the stables. "Henry!" She called. "I found him, are you here?" The lad bounded out, leading a horse with him. The second his eyes met the princess's, a deep blush crossed his face and he crossed his arms.

"I know how to get out of a castle undetected." He gloated.

"Well I had to get your friend here." She said, pointing to him nonchalantly, before taking a step closer to Henry. It made his face redden. "Out of there, he almost got caught."

He laughed slightly "Swan's out safe, now all we need to do is meet her somewhere safe." He explained. "I take it we'll be venturing from here on horseback?" Violet turned to him nodding. "There's Maximus and Rose, and Shakespeare. The princess introduced, pointing to the horses. Killian went and mounted the white one, watching as Henry and Violet exchanged banter as she helped him onto the smaller black horse, Shakespeare.

(A weird name for a horse if he said so himself)

He noticed the boy lean down, pressing a chastise kiss to the lady's lips, making them both blush red.

Henry was just about settled when Violet saw to the light brown colored one, preparing to get on her.

"Over here! They're over here!" Shouted a voice, and the next thing he knew arrows were flying into the stable.

"Henry! Duck!" He cried trying to maneuver the horse to get in front of the boy, an arrow barely missed him, ripping a whole in his jacket.

"Violet!" Henry cried as an arrow hit her in the leg, making her tumble to the ground as she grunted in pain. Killian saw Henry start to dismount and go to her aid but he stopped him.

"We have to go Henry." He told him sternly.

"Not without Violet!" He shouted back, the beginning of tears in the boy's eyes as he looked at the limp princess. "She saved both of us from being caught, I thought it was good form not lot leave anyone behind." They had merely moments before all escape would be futile.

"Good form goes out the window if it means keeping us alive." He said back bitterly.

"He's right Henry." Violet said weakly, trying to get to her feet before crying out and falling back down, eyeing the broken shaft in her leg. "Please. Go. As an order from a princess." She said bravely, but he could see the fear in the maiden's eyes.

"But Violet-"

They were coming in.

"Henry. This sorcerer would never allow a young girl to be killed. We'll come back for her Henry, I promise." He reminded the boy. She saw this hopeful look in the boy, looking at the pale form of Violet, once pristine dress, slowly becoming bloodied.

"I'll come back for you Violet." He vowed. "I promise."

And with that, the two of them rode off into the night.

* * *

Was that episode great or what? This season is amazing.

I really hope some of the subtle hints I've embedded have been well received, I try to balance them with some not so subtle hints. I really hope everything has been making sense. I've been rereading so many times it jumbles into a blur. Let me know if there is anything that isn't or you're wondering where in the world I'm going.

I'm going many places.

Guest reviews:

 _ **andria**_ : Nothing bad has happened...yet.

Now, Jus a few words about the episode so

SPOILER ALERT

5x14:

Ok, I felt so bad for Milah, she's cheated in both life and death. I feel nothing for Rumple over this mess, just how its going to effect our heroes, speaking of whom, REUNION!

That was so cute! But the promo, Liam. I mean I guess he's sort of like father figure so he wouldn't approve of anyone, but still! I think its going to break our hearts. Trying to get Killian to pass on with him, and in the end he turning back and all nice and heart felt with a line or two that will be forever repeated in CS fanfics.

That's my predictions at least.

But how does the headstone thing even work? Are they declared dead, turned into souls? I hope they explain that.

Thanks for reading my rant.

~Luna


	9. Chapter 9

Warning some...implications. 

Nothing graphic at all.

Chapter 9

The Dagger

It didn't take long to lose the guards and escape the castle, because once you know one castle, you know them all. And Emma knew how to escape a castle, especially one crawling with her others guards, it was like child's play. After growing up escaping from the same nameless guards again and again, she learned their patterns well, she knew when to poof and when to make herself known. She made sure that every guard thought they were right on her heels. It would have been impossible to do with Killian and Henry in tow, but hopefully they had found their own way out.

"Hello dearie, it's good to finally meet you."

Emma sighed, turning towards the damn imp. He sat waiting for her, casually like he had expected her. There was even a cup of tea in his hand. A part of her figured he did, that he had predicted her escape plot. He was the damn sorcerer, and just like her, predicting the future was a part of the bargain.

The Sorcerer and the Dark One, legend had it that they were two sides of the same coin, whatever the hell that meant.

"Rumpelstitlskin." She growled, gathering her magic up, ready to fight.

"You and I both know that's not going to work." He said sadistically. "So why don't you relax before you hurt yourself."

She didn't.

"Or perhaps your deckhand hmm? I suppose that's the real reason you were so upset Dark One. He didn't tell you that your out of control magic burned him."

She let a wordless shout, blasting dark magic at his feet. How dare he mention Killian, he didn't care for Killian, that shot was just to hurt her, make her remember what she had done.

The way she had thrown him aside when his damn moral compass was making things difficult, the way he had wrenched his hand away from her when her dark magic had spiked, almost as if he had been burned.

 _Almost, yeah right. She had burned him. She had hurt the man she was falling for._

"Let me pass." She growled, trying to keep the black magic from appearing, trying to keep herself level.

"And leave my questions unsatisfied? No thank you." He replied closing the distance in an instant, grabbing her wrist and lowering it in his iron like grip.

"Get your hands off of me." She growled. She didn't want his hands anywhere near her. She didn't want anyone touching her.

 _They'd just get burned. Not that she cared about him. Emma would love to send him tumbling, body ablaze, hearing his scream of-_

Emma shook her head. That couldn't happen, Killian didn't like it when she killed people. It was bad form or something.

"You asked me to keep out of your business, and your business just happens to cross into my business when you ruin _my_ son's party. I'd like to know why, why these prisoners are so important to you that you'd risk my wrath." He asked.

"They are my friends." She said simply. "A girl's got to protect her friends." She said with a seductive wink.

It made the man scowl but release his grip. "A friend? The Dark One has no friends." He scoffed.

She didn't reply, forcing her way past him. He was right after all.

"But you're not a usual Dark One are you?" He questioned quietly, appearing in front of her, waving a hand over her face. She pushed him away, but knew it was useless, he had gotten a read on her and more importantly, her magic.

"Ah yes, it makes sense now. Why you haven't been slaughtering villages since your escape. That's quite the bold move you made isn't it?" He laughed. "Getting rid of the dagger as you did."

Emma froze. Just hearing the word, made her darkness spike, _remembering_ its secret craving, it's _need_ to be with its other half, she could barely hear the _whispers_ in the back of her mind _, calling_ , calling to _her_. _It wanted her-_

No. She wouldn't listen, she didn't want to know, didn't want to see.

"Did you think getting rid of the darkness would be that easy? Even while you use its dark magic? Did you really think you could just throw it away? As if the power was nothing?" He demanded. She stared him down. He was obviously no stranger to the allure of power, but he didn't understand, he didn't understand the darkness.

He was a creature of the light, what the hell did he know about darkness?

"You don't know what you're talking about." She said simply. "You with your damn light magic, you have no idea what it's like to have the darkness nipping at you heel your every step!" She hissed. "The constant battle to do the right thing while every fiber of your being not to!"

 _Kill him. Kill him!_

"So you what? You may not wish to harm people, but once someone gets the dagger, it won't really be your choice will it?"

Emma just laughed. "That's the point! No one knows where it is, not even me. I don't hear it calling to me, I don't see _him_ telling me who I am anymore. Everyone I love is safe from me!"

 _Kill them all, make them suffer, make them burn. Burn. Burn._

The Sorcerer smiled, leaning in, almost as if he could hear her too. Almost as if he knew that the angrier she got, the louder the voices were shouting in her ear. "It's not helping is it? Not completely? And you and I both know that this loophole you've found has a weakness, a side effect if you will."

Emma rolled her eyes. "Of course I know. It's my life, my curse." She spat back. "So what are you going to do? Threaten to tell my dear ol' mother? She already knows, why do you think she keeps wanting to capture me? My friends? Killing the men in my life?" She taunted. "Because she wants me to tell her where I hid it. She wants to find it, undo the process and control me yet again." She snapped.

He stayed silent.

"So if you excuse me, my friend and my nephew are waiting for me."

He stopped her once more.

"Emma, you know that it isn't a permanent solution right? You know you're going to have to deal with it soon." He warned, she could hear the sincerity in his voice.

"I've been dealing with it _every day_ for my _entire life."_ She responded. "The darkness is not the enemy in moderation." She added.

"Do you want to get rid of it Emma?" He asked. "I know of a way, if you truly want to."

Emma didn't need to think on it. She already knew her answer. Emma had known her answer for years. She knew what it felt like for the magic to be suppressed, to be helpless, to be weak. She didn't want that. Taking out the darkness may solve a few of her problems, but it didn't stop her mother from coming after her. It didn't stop her son from being threatened, maybe not for being the Dark Ones son, but for being the bastard prince of Misthaven. It didn't stop her sailor from being threatened

"The darkness is mine. It's both my crutch and my burden. It belongs to me. But I will use it, wield it to protect the people I love, even from you. It helps me do what I have to do to get things done. So tell me, are you going to stand in my way? Will you honor our agreement or will we have to see which one of us with our immortal magic reigns supreme?"

He nodded. "I will stay out of your way as long as you stay out of mine. Just a word of warning, Miss Swan? No matter how much you try, power can't always protect the people you love." She swallowed thickly.

"Is that a threat?" The man shakes his head.

"It's a warning, from one Immortal soul who has lost everything one before and hopes you don't follow in my footsteps."

With that, the man waved his hand and disappeared in a yellow cloud.

"Damn spinner." She cursed, continuing forward on the search for her boys, praying that they are alright, and condemning any who had made them otherwise.

X

She arrived in the nearby town they had been staying at, their safe place. There were no royal guards, but Emma knew it was only a matter of time. She walked into the tavern, putting some of her more casual dresses on rather than the red satin ball gown.

 _But oh had she loved the way Killian's face flushed when he saw it._

"Has my husband and nephew returned?" She asked the man and woman running the tavern. They'd been staying there for the last couple of days, enjoying a moment of peace before everything went to hell. It had all gone to hell.

"Yes miss, just under an hour ago, your husband was comforting that poor boy."

 _Comforting?_ She felt instantly terrified, rushing upstairs in a furry. She could hear it all the way down the hall, hopeless sobbing.

"Shhh. It'll be alright Henry, go ahead and cry lad, cry your eyes out, no one will think you any less." Killian said softly. It was Henry crying, her poor little thief. She lingered in the hall, opening the door slowly, seeing Henry gripping Killian's dress coat tightly, as his face was pressed against his chest, Killian was holding him just as tightly, moving his hand on his back in slow circles. "It'll be ok lad. When your mum gets here, she'll make it better alright?"

Henry let out a wordless sob.

"I know. I know. A broken heart is a terrible thing, but it gets better lad, I promise." He answered.

 _A broken heart?_

"I just met her Killian, but I…I I'm so scared that something might have happened to her."

 _Her, the girl at the dance, the princess of Camelot._ Emma realized. She started to wonder what happened after she parted, she had abandoned her boys and something dreadful had happened.

"You fell hard lad, fell hard for an incredible young lady, I knew that the instant I saw you with her." Killian admitted as Henry loosened his grip on him. "When we find her, when not if lad, you better be prepared to treat her right, it's not all about pillaging and plunder you know." He said cheekily, making her son laugh at those words, words he had only said a few days ago.

She found herself laughing as well, drawing Killian's eyes to her. He smiled wide before looking between her and Henry.

"Swan."Killian said, seeing her. He looked relieved that she was there. Henry turned towards her, eyes red and blotchy from crying, he was still shaking. She went over and sat on his other side. "Would you like me to leave you two alone?" He asked gently.

"No. Mom, Killian can stay; can-can he tell you what happened? I don't think I can." The boy admitted. She nodded as her boy, her sweet little boy, crawled closer to her, curling up at her side. She embraced him, kissing him on the top of his head.

Killian began gently telling her what happened, still soothing the boy with his hand on his back. He explained how Henry's friend had got him out of the castle, got them horses, before being shot in the leg by an arrow. She gasped at that, at the thought of such a brave courageous hero saving their lives, strangers, at the expense of her own, Emma knew she couldn't ever do that, she wasn't a savior.

By the end of the story, Henry was so exhausted that he fell asleep leaning against her. She pressed a kiss to his head, transforming his dress clothes into night attire, tucking him into bed. She led Killian out of the room, closing the door before grabbing a hold of him tightly, refusing to let go of him.

He wrapped his arms around her instantly. "Are you alright love?" He asked softly.

"I'm ok. How about you? Did they hurt you? Tell me the truth."

He parted slightly, but they didn't leave each other's space.

"Not even a scratch." He vowed, pointing to the chut shirt. "My apparel however has suffered a nasty flesh wound." He snickered. How about you?"

Emma just rolled her eyes. "I'm the Dark One silly. They can't hurt me." She insisted, but he gave her a knowing smile. He knew something was amiss with that line, but thankfully he didn't voice it. She took his hand, leading him back to his room. They were in need of a particularly unpleasant conversation.

"Undress pirate." She ordered as he sat on the bed, Emma sitting behind him, removing the jacket. He sighed as he did so.

"That's not a very proper thing for a princess to be asking." He deflected.

"I don't care. I need to see it." She said simply. He pulled up the sleeve of the dress coat, holding out his left hand to her. Sure enough, around his left wrist and palm, there were bright red burns on his skin, not looking healed despite having days.

"Oh god, Killian, I'm so sorry. I didn't mean to do that I-" He shook his head.

"I know that love. I know. You were scared and angry. I understand." Emma placed her hand over his drawing out all the dark magic from the wound, knitting together the burn swiftly. It looked back to normal and she could see a feeling of ease over Killian's face. Emma hadn't even known that he was in pain, why didn't she know he was in pain?

"I've always been quite skilled at masking discomfort Swan." He replied like always, practically reading her mind.

"I need you to promise to tell me next time? Ok? How am I going to get better at controlling my temper when I don't even know what I do when I lose it?" She insisted. Another idea crossed her mind as she placed a hand over his heart.

"Swan?" He asked softly.

"Shush. Don't worry, I'm not doing anything bad." She said, focusing her power, his form flashed briefly. "I put a protective spell on you, it's not as strong as the one on Henry, but it's enough to protect you from having your heart taken, even by me."

He nodded slowly. "You know you don't need to protect me love, right? Its not your responsibility. I'm bound to get a bit banged up, especially if I'm to help you go up against the Queen." He reminded her. She placed her head over the beating in his chest, it calmed her.

"I know Killian, but let me do what I can to make sure you stay safe. Promise me you will do everything in your power to stay safe ok?" Emma hated the weakness in her voice, but she couldn't help it. He was important to her. He was more than just important.

He was it. Emma had thought before that she had found it, but the fear of something happening to him, the knowledge of hurting him…it had made her realize something.

"Alright Swan, I promise, but I have a question as well, it's been bothering me since Elsa knocked you off the Jolly, I was always told that the Dark One was invulnerable, but that doesn't seem all that true." Emma shook her head. She took a breath, Emma had never explained this to anyone before, never trusted anyone with it, but she might as well explain it to him.

Especially since the damn Sorcerer knew about it.

"It's true. If I was a regular Dark One, it would be true." She said softly, unsure whether she wanted to get into that topic with him, it was by far a very dangerous thing to discuss.

"I get the feeling that it's a sore subject, but I'd like to know if you'd like to share, but its no problem if you don't." He said turning closer to her.

"I told you how I threw the dagger, the one that control me, into another realm back in those first few days on the ship." She'd said it in a taunt, but still she'd said it. On Emma's 18th birthday, Emma had reclaimed her dagger and after a bit of time trying to find herself, (some spent under the watchful eye of Ingrid and in the company of Elsa) she'd left the dagger someone no one would ever find it.

"I recall." He said simply.

"The power of the Dark One rests in the bond I share with that dagger, holding it gives me access to unlimited powers, makes me invulnerable." She admitted. "But it also makes everything so dark that there is no light, no happiness, no love. I feel nothing, I guess great power comes great responsibility." She snickered. "It overwhelms me with darkness. They are there in my head sitting there, taunting me to do terrible deeds." She took a breath, "When I'm not holding the dagger, controlling it, the hold of the darkness loosens everything seems brighter, hopeful." It's the feeling she has now, the light from love and hope for a future. "The price is that with the daggerI can be controlled, I can be manipulated, its terrible Killian, every thought, every dream, everything is manipulated by that dagger, it's the equivalent of having my heart stolen."

Emma remembers some of the silly things planted in her mind by her mother, how she loved ball gowns, loved to watch her mother murder any servant she became attached to, how she had this overwhelming need to please her. It still leaves her wondering how much is _her_ , and how much of her own personality is Emma.

"So when I got it back, the only way to feel anything, to be ok, was to have someone else hold it, but not use it, never use it." She continued. "I can't take being controlled Killian. I just can't."

Killian nodded, urging her to continue.

"I gave the dagger to Ingrid at first, I thought I could trust her, but I later realized she was using it too. She wanted me to ask my mother to join our family and I found myself open to let the person I despise most into my beautiful make shift family. I was already becoming frustrated with Elsa's moping, that once I realized the broken trust I did what I always do." She admitted.

"You ran." He guessed.

"I ran." She confirmed. "And decided that no one would ever have me, no one would ever want me without wanting to control me. So I chucked the thing into another realm and knew that as long as it was in another realm, that some oblivious person had it, they couldn't ever use me, they wouldn't even know how. But that's not how it was meant to be." She explained. "With such a distance between the dagger and me, it weakens my status as immortal." She explained.

"But you can get hit in the head, you can drown, you can be stabbed by a normal weapon." He realized in a breath, "I'm so sorry Emma, love."

She shook her head, she didn't want his pity, didn't need it.

"Emma, for the record, I'll have you just the way you are." He admitted. "No, more than that, you are the most beautiful, glorious thing I've ever seen, you changed my life Emma, and I would never ever want you to change for me. I hope you know that I would never dare to control you, I wouldn't even want to. I-"

Emma smiled, she knew what he wanted to say, and knew that something was holding him back. She pressed a kiss to his lips, a gentle one. "I love you Killian Jones." She said softly. She used to wait for them to say it first, but now, now she wanted to be the one, the one to take a leap of faith.

Killian, she had faith in Killian.

"God I love you. I wish we had met so long ago. I wish so many things." She moved to get up, a pink flush across her cheeks. She didn't need to hear him say it back; she just needed him to know. He grabbed her hand, standing and looking at her, as if he was trying to come to a conclusion.

"Bloody hell." He murmured, pulling her towards him, kissing her deeply, reaching his hand under her dress to land right on her hips as she tore at the buttons on his dress shirt, she felt the wall come up behind her as his mouth fell to a spot by her neck.

"Stay?" He asked with a waggle of his eyebrows, making her giggle like a teenager.

He had asked her that before, but this one was different and she knew it, this wasn't him seeking her comfort, no this was his way of offering it to her. She planted a not so gentle kiss on his smirk, making them fall back into the bed, his arm around her waist as hers tangled in his hair.

"Always." She whispered as she fell into his warm embrace.

She looked up once more to the slightly open door of the room. She swiped her finger, making the door slam shut and lock with a bit of magic.

"Ready for some pillaging and plundering pirate?" She teased.

He laughed. "As you wish."

* * *

See? Nothing graphic, just implied things. If your looking for graphic, look elsewhere, you won't find it here.

I wasn't originally planning this chapter to be a thing, but I needed certain things to happen with Killian telling the story, so random explanation/Captain Swan Cobra moment/ major Captain Swan admission was born.

Anyway, I'm busy this weekend, so it was either an early chapter or a late one, (or an extra chapter if the stars align and I find a moment after the episode.)

Guest Reviews:

andria: Belle/Lacey will be cleared up much later.

Don't forget to review!

~Luna


	10. Chapter 10

Chapter 10

Our Future is Now

He woke up to a blonde angel curled up against him, she was fast asleep. The Dark One, his beautiful swan was beside him, better, she loved him.

And God, he loved her. He loved Emma Swan too much for words.

He loved her too much.

"Emma love, I'm sorry, I've been lying to you." He whispered, pressing a kiss to her forehead. "I'm dying Swan. Your magic can't save me, only Neverland can. But it'll happen in a few weeks, a month if I'm lucky, if I intend to find the bloody island, I need your help, but to do that, it would leave your friend in captivity, to risk making your son motherless. I can't do that Swan. I can't give you that choice, an impossible choice. I can't take away another mother from her son. Maybe if we hurry, once your family is safe, I swear, I'll tell you, I'll tell you the whole tale."

She groaned in her sleep, and for a second, Killian worried she was awake and had heard his confession. She pressed against him, nuzzling deeper into his neck. He grinned; it was such a cute movement.

"But I love you, I love you Emma Swan. But if I tell you that, you'll think you failed me, you'll think it was your fault, you'll hate yourself. I can't let that happen. If I keep my words my secret, then at least…at least you can hate me. You won't be left wondering what if. What if I had lived? What if we had a future together? What if I hadn't saved you? Would I still be alive?"

He looked at the ceiling. "The answer love, is no. If I had never met you, I'd had been miserable until I eventually died, probably in some alley way or street corner. I'd die alone. Call me selfish, but in this, I am."

She stirred a bit more. "I don't want to die alone." He kissed her, making her giggle.

The Dark Swan was giggling.

"Morning love." He said, praying she hadn't heard his declaration.

"Morning sailor." She moaned into him, wrapping her legs around him, cuddling against him. "You're warm sailor." She snickered. She was happy, so happy that he could feel it radiating off of her.

He laughed, getting up, parting from her as she pouted, and gathering his clothes, leather pants, a vest and his coat. "As much as I'd love to stay in bed with you all day, I believe there is a lad who's pretty anxious to go on with a rescue mission or two?" He prodded.

Emma groaned. "I guess." She muttered, standing up before poof-ing another dress on. "Like it Jones?" She teased as she twirled the light blue cloth.

They both knew he was blushing violently as he was dressing, he certainly appreciated the neck line and the thought of removing it as he had done last night.

 _By God, she's beautiful_. If Henry wasn't probably waiting for them, he didn't think his self-control could take it.

He was just about finished getting dressed when there was a knock on the door.

"Mom! They're here!" Henry said quickly, easing the tension in one moment before thrusting them back into chaos.

They both knew _exactly_ who he was talking about. "Time we make our leave from here then, isn't it?" He prodded with a wink. Emma nodded, opening the door, pulling Henry inside seconds after making the bed with a flick of her wrist.

"Where are we going? What's the plan?" He asked in an excited whisper, leave it to the boy to see even danger as an adventure. Emma nudged him over to the bed sitting him down there, ready to discuss the plan Swan and he had come up with in the dead of night as they'd been up talking amongst other things.

Emma shot him a smile, knowing very well that she was thinking the very same thing.

"We're taking a ship around the kingdom." Killian started, forcing his expression neutral. "Get some distance so we can approach the summer palace from another angle." He explained.

"A ship? Which ship? The Queen is going to search every ship!" He insisted, arms crossed.

Emma glanced at him as he smirked. "My ship." He said triumphantly. " _The Jolly Roger_."

 _"Liam! Liam! Is that your ship? Is that it?"_

 _"Yes brother, that's it, the fastest ship in all the realms."_

Emma squeezed his hand; he wondered what his face looked like as he got momentarily lost in his memories, he knelt down by the boy. "Would you like to learn to sail lad?"

He crossed his arms stubbornly. "Learn what? You just turn the wheel and go in different directions right? Sailing a boat should be easy." He recoiled, pressing a hand to his heart in mock pain.

"Right in the heart lad, you wound me right in the heart." He said with a gasp. It brought a smile to the boy's face, and a giggle to Swan's. "How about we see for ourselves how easy it is?" He dared, seeing the effect of the challenge in his eyes. "Unless, you're… _scared_." He said teasingly.

He shook his head. "No way!" He insisted, sounding every bit the 14 year old boy he pretended he wasn't with his curt replies and knack for mischief. Emma ruffled his hair, seeing it too.

"Come on, my sailors, let's get out of here."

They managed to slip out of the tavern without incident, walking hand and hand with Swan, Henry trailing around them. For a moment, Killian saw what they appeared like to the naked eye, a perfect little family. It made his heart flutter; it was all he'd ever wanted.

Emma squeezed tighter, leaning her head against his shoulder. She saw it too. The village was alive with life, and Killian couldn't help forgetting their hurry for a moment about their need for haste.

"One moment Swan?" He asked. She looked at him warily. "We're perfectly invisible in this crowd; give me five minutes before we make our departure?" He asked.

Emma looked uncertain but then they both looked over to see Henry looking through someone's merchandise. She sighed.

"A tiny detour wouldn't hurt." She reasoned. Killian grinned happily, going to where he spotted a collection of maps. Old habits die hard apparently. Killian was an avid collector of maps, since until recently, it was the closest thing to being a pirate as possible.

Along with hope to find a way to his brother.

"Anything unusual? He asked the shop keeper, if they knew what they were talking about the shop keeper would try and point him in a certain direction, however, this woman just shrugged uncaring. Killian sighed, most likely there was nothing, but still Killian searched. One madam's trash is another's treasure after all.

 _Aha!_

He pulled a thinner map out from between two generic ones, noticing the different in the parchment than all the others. He looked over it closely. Recognizing certain landmarks, the mountain shape, the places a ship could naturally dock. It made him pale. He wasn't expecting…when he wasn't even looking, when he was just curious not avidly searching as he used to…

After fifteen years, in his hands laid a map of Neverland.

Killian wondered if fate was purposely spiting him. Killian turned it over in his hands, neatly scrawled on the back were directions, no, it was more like a letter, but it was faded and smudged badly, Killian could barely make out the words.

 _…Not….deadly_

 _Take… and find…before …day._

 _Make sure …taken care of…I know you will._

 _…friend…trust…waiting…_

 _Cap… am …es_

He wondered what it was supposed to say and if the reader had found it before it had been ruined, buying the map dirt cheap before stuffing it into his coat pocket.

Killian couldn't think about that. It brought up thoughts Killian had been happy forgetting, questioning a fate he'd already accepted.

He wanted to find something nice for Swan, yes, that's exactly what he'd do. He left the map section and found his way to a table of funny knickknacks and jewelry.

 _Woman like jewelry._ He realized with a grin. He moved through it, fingering the dainty chains and petty jewels hanging listlessly. None of those seemed right for Swan.

Killian's eye settled onto something interesting and for whatever reason, he thought Swan would adore it. It'd bring a smile to her face, and that's what mattered. Killian had just enough money to purchase the thick silver chain, pocketing it slowly.

He just hoped she'd like it. If he couldn't say the words, at least he wanted something to remember him by, something to make her smile.

He found her with her arms wrapped around a basket of food, mouth filled like a chipmunk. He chuckled, coming behind her, placing gentle kisses to her neck. He was so happy all of a sudden; years of misery seemed to just fade around here and now.

"Whatcha got there Swan?" He whispered.

"Food." She mumbled, mouth still full. He laughed.

"Can I have some?" He prodded, hand resting on her hip as he led her over somewhere that wasn't directly in the middle of everything. She swallowed.

"Nope." She teased turning around, tugging it away. Her emerald eyes shined brightly in mischief. "But, perhaps I can be _persuaded_ to change my mind." She said seductively.

Killian grinned, pressing against her, one hand in her hair, other still glued to her hip. Even with their agreement to keep things…decent between them around the boy, he was still a pirate and she was still enchanting.

"And how, love, should I go about doing that." He asked in fake confusion. "After all, I'm awfully _hungry_." She pulled him into a kiss, obviously impatient after his teasing, but that wasn't the only thing Killian was after, he pulled away, one of the loafs of bread Emma had purchased in his hand, she looked at him in surprise, then back to the lowered mound of bread in her basket.

"How the hell did you do that?" She demanded.

He pressed against her again, kissing just beneath the ear. " _Pirate,_ love." He reminded her. "Pirates _take_ what they _want_."

She eyed him again.

"And what exactly _do_ you want _pirate_?"

Killian laughed, hearing those same words during their first kiss, words thrown in anger once, now spoken with something beautiful.

"What do I want Emma? Are you really asking that?" He questioned. "You." He threw the bread behind him grabbing onto her, carrying her in a perfect princess carry, her arms around his neck as she laughed loudly, twirling her around as she clutched his neck, all thoughts of food forgotten.

He suddenly heard the distinct sound of music in the market place, saw where children were gathered and were dancing clumsily to an old man's tunes. He grinned, placing her back on the ground.

"Care to engage into some more pleasurable activities, Princess Leia?" He asked, nodding in their direction. She grinned.

"After you Prince Charles."

X

Henry smirked when they met back up with him, they were going to have lunch at one of the taverns before continuing on their way.

He folded his arms leaning back in his chair looking utterly smug. "I hope you two had fun on your date, I heard from the local kids, you were snogging so much, that you caused children to flee." Henry snickered, making them both flush up.

"I have no idea-"

"Henry, that's absurd-"

Needless to say, it was a futile effort under the boy's laughter, well, until Killian noticed something mighty peculiar.

"Henry…"Killian looks at Swan, finding a moment to whisper when Emma's mind wonders a bit. "are there sparkles on your shirt?" The boy went rigid, all the color drained from his face, turning to see that Swan didn't hear him. Henry shakes his head quickly, pleading to him not to make the fact known.

Killian just smirks, waggling his eye brows suggestively. The boy's pale face becomes flush with color, it practically screams, 'it's not what it looks like.'

When woman (or girls in Henry's case) Killian finds it usually is.

But Killian just smiles, putting an arm around Emma, feeling here move into him. "So what did you do, pirate?" She asks.

"Oh please, kid here, don't want to know." Henry groans, causing Killian to chuckle.

"Research love." He says. "Found myself a treasure map." Yes, because a future with Emma was the best treasure he could ask for, if only he had more time. "And a bit of treasure."

Emma looks at him, a sparkle in her eye, but it barely compares to the look of adventure in the boy.

"A treasure map? Where? What's the treasure?" He prods.

Killian rubs behinds his ear, feeling the map in his pocket burn.

"Top secret lad." He replied with a wink. "But I do hope to go after it one your family is safe love." He says honestly. "It's my _request_ if you will." He says with a slight edge.

Emma nods knowingly, smile bright.

During their last adventure, after Killian had freed her from her tower, Elsa had appeared wishing for help to rescue her aunt. Killian had refused at first, but then Emma offered him a deal, help them and in return, she would give him one request. He asked her to help him find his brother.

(Killian left out the fact that if he didn't before he turned 30, he'd die. No, he didn't want to bring up that nasty little fact)

It did make Killian feel happy that Emma looked so excited to help with this goal, wondering her reaction if she did find Liam, if she did know the truth. Maybe it was best to keep her in the dark, think his death accidental, or as a result of some stupid misstep of his own.

Regardless of his own feelings, he'd hate for Emma to go on the path of vengeance, while vengeance was never a particular vice of his, he could see how it would be alluring to others.

"Seems pretty cocky to have picked out the next adventure when we haven't even finished this one." She flirted.

"Oh, but I have yet to see you fail, love." He replied.

Henry gagged. "Please, no more! Your killing me-with your cheesy one liners!" He said, mock hanging himself. Killian rolled his eyes.

"Hey, one liners are a practiced form of courting the fairer sex." He supplied. "At least for a pirate." He added. "And cover your ears lad, or you may pass out." He snickered.

Henry did, putting his head down, but stole a glance up. "Would you like to see the bit of treasure I procured?" He asked Emma simply.

She nodded, smile widening in glee. He removed a chain from his pocket, uncoiling it around the charm. "You seemed…distressed by that boy getting his gift, so I thought you'd like to get one of your own instead." He said sheepishly. She flinched slightly at the memory, making him hesitate.

"I'm sorry, it was silly- I-" He stuttered, closing his fist gently over the charm, thinking that perhaps it wasn't such a good idea. Emma recovered quickly, shaking her head.

"I'll tell you about why I was upset later, but please, let me see?" She pleaded, her hands over his own, gently uncurling his fingers. Her eyes lit up as she spotted the charm.

"It's not a swan, I tried to find one, but then I remembered the Swan pendant you used to wear, and since I don't see it anymore, I figured there was a reason, so I found something a little different…" He stuttered. She fingered the charm in her hands, smiling in delight.

"I like this better. It's not the usual thing you by for a princess." She teased.

"Ah, but you're not a usual princess are you?" He replied with ease.

More fake dying sound effects, complementary from one Henry.

"Put it on me?" She asked, ignoring the sounds her son was making, shifting her hair and turning to give him her neck. Killian grinned at her delight, unclipping the necklace and draping it around her neck before securing it.

"I love it." She insisted, pressing a kiss to his cheek.

"I'd say it's got you 'hooked'" he snickered.

Henry could be seen making an over dramatic effort of falling from his chair in mock dead fashion. Emma shot him a look to behave.

"I can't behave. I'm dead." He replied. "Can we get out of here now and go on Killian's boat?"

Killian sighed. "That was for putting you through the one liners wasn't it?" he asked.

"Yup." If it was possible to smile any brighter, Killian was sure that was what he'd be doing. He spent the remaining time as they ate, discussing with Henry the different reasons the Jolly was not, and never would be a simple boat.

It took the time from then to when they reached the docks for Killian to see the big smile on both Emma's and the lad's face to realize the boy was messing with him. He was glad the lad deemed him worthy to exchange some kind banter with.

Killian directed them to a deserted dock, far enough away that by the time that anyone noticed the sudden appearance of a strange ship, it would be too late for action to be taken.

Killian took out the bottle, a miniature ship nestled inside. He could see the words written across it in a weathered gold. _The Jewel of the Realm._

 _(_ Killian made note to ask Swan if she could change it once they had another quiet moment.)

"I don't think we're going to fit in that." Henry stated sarcastically, leering at the bottled ship.

Killian chuckled, handing the bottle to Swan. "If you may?" She took the bottle, turning the glass black with her magic before chucking it into the harbor.

Within seconds, a full sized ship appeared clean white sails, enchanted wooded hull and the occasional broken plank, but it gave her character.

Killian had a few things he wanted to do with her, make the ship his own but she was as beautiful as he last remembered her. He couldn't help but sigh, while he'd been away from her no more than two weeks, he still missed his ship.

"Should Henry and I give you two a moment alone together?" Emma teased, making him blush.

"Laugh all you want Swan, I've lived nearly my entire life on her, since I was 7 years of age." He reminded her, "We've seen each other grow and change over the years. This may be-" He cut himself off, nearly saying that it may be his last voyage on her, no, he couldn't say that. He eyed Henry suddenly. "The very moment I turn your boy into a sailor." He finished with a chuckle; Henry rolled his eyes crossing his arms.

"Please." He muttered.

He easily boarded, finding his body swaying in tune to the sea. He turned and offered his hand to Emma. "After you darling." She took his hand and walked aboard with her head held high. He went to offer his assistance to Henry, but he refused, turning his head away with his arms crossed.

Killian let his grin waver for a moment. He had really thought they had made such good progress, after Violet had been injured; the boy had sought comfort in him as Henry felt himself break down, along with the light banter, he thought at the very least they were becoming friends. He hoped that they could continue to share such moments, good and bad. For as long as it was possible of course.

"Let's set off then. Henry would you like to help me? It'll take less time if I had a second pair of hands." He tried. The boy's eyes lit up, but he kept his facial expression non-comital, shrugging. Emma placed her hand against his arm.

"I mean if you need help…" He reasoned, following his instructions about the sails and the hull. Killian even managed to even teach him the names for the different directions at sea.

"Why don't they use left or right?" He asked. Going port rather than starboard accidentally. Killian gently corrected him before answering.

"Because those terms are relative to your particular position, this way, there is much less confusion." He answered, recalling asking the question himself. The Jolly was about to set off when they suddenly heard an ear piercing scream.

 _Emma._

He grabbed his sword, whirling around. She had been at his side, sitting on the railing, watching. He looked to the spot she was previously, and saw nothing. He felt cold dread, the same dread he felt when he saw Emma, a woman he barely knew, underneath the wolfish guard, the same dread he felt when Emma vanished as Elsa had pushed her overboard during the storm, the same dread he felt before Hans had turned, not fooled by their little act.

Emma was in danger.

"Hide." He ordered the boy, proceeding towards where he had last seen Emma. Killian didn't look back, hearing the footsteps rapid under him.

"Dark One?" He called cautiously.

"Isn't that a little formal darling?" A voice sneered appearing behind him. He tensed.

Queen Snow stood on his vessel with two guards gripping Emma's arms rather tightly, one had their hand over her mouth. She looked both in pain and furious. "After all, you both seemed pretty close in the tavern." She sneered, "And in the middle of the town square? Do you have no shame pirate?" She lectured approaching him. He tried to dive forward, attack the guards, get them to free Emma, but felt he was unable to move.

 _Magic. He was frozen by magic._

He looked to Emma seeing black shackles tightly around her wrists, a similar contraption to what he found her in all those weeks ago. His eyes returned to the Queen as she approached him, getting too close for comfort. She rested a gloved hand on his cheek, rubbing in gentle circles; it made her smirk as he tried to pull away.

He heard one of the guards cry out, making Killian look back towards Emma. One of the guards was cursing, blood from his hand as he pressed it to his chest. He watched as Emma surged forward, not with magic, but pure anger and force of will.

Emma hissed as she did so. "Get your hands off him." She ordered. "He's _mine._ " She stressed.

The Queen stopped, flicking her wrist as some invisible force crashed over Swan, paralyzing her suddenly and painfully, forcing her arms to her side and her head slightly up. "Relax darling, I just want to see who freed you from my tower, and took advantage of your gratitude." She moved towards her daughter, fingering the pendant as she glared at her daughter. "Did he give you this?" She whispered. "Some sort of symbol of you belonging to him?" She snapped.

Emma spat blood at her mother's face. The woman dropped her grip on the necklace.

It caught the light as it hung there, in the perfect spot on her neck; a perfect silver sailor's hook roughly the size of her palm, at the end of a silver chain. Don't ask him why, but it seemed to just fit, a symbol of him, just above her heart.

"Just the opposite love." He said with a grin. "It's a symbol that she has me hooked on her, wrapped around her finger." He gave her a wink.

The Queen gave him a bored look at his pun. She leaned in, whispering something into Emma's ear, he could see her eyes widen and panic. They shot back to him, not moving. Instead they pleaded and begged.

He wanted nothing more than to fix it for her, smooth away her worries, make the Queen disappear.

Her misery just made the Queen laugh. "You're Killian Jones." She observed, pacing back to him, ending up behind him, saying her words in a soft whisper that all could hear. "Son of Brennan Jones, a condemned traitor." He felt her hand, no longer gentle, under his jaw clawing his skin until he felt drips of blood on his neck. He didn't flinch, barely even reacted at all. "Is this who you choose my dear? A man with dirt for blood?" She demanded loudly towards Emma.

Emma on the other hand did react, her eyes filled with tears, shaking her head.

"No. Please, let him go, he's nothing to me, just a little dalliance, let him go." She pleaded.

But the Queen continued, ignoring her child's pleas. "His brother was a pirate, darling. A cold blooded bastard. He wreaked havoc on the seas, all of them, had no sense of loyalty. What makes you think his brother will give you any? You're just another woman to men like this." Killian found that whatever magic was holding him in place started to fade as he was able to voice his thoughts without thinking.

"And you know quite _a lot_ about loyalty don't you, _Your Majesty_." He sneered. "You look like you have such _devoted_ loyalty to your child."

The claws pushed deeper as Killian spoke his next words. "Why do you do this? Hurt her? Hunt her? Destroy her? Because she's the Dark One? She hasn't hurt a soul since I've known her." He never moved his eyes from her. "All Emma wants is to be left alone, just let us free and you'll never hear from us ag-" He was suddenly whirled around so his throat fell perfectly in her line of sight as she began to cut off his air supply through magical means.

"Such a foolish, foolish pirate. Tell him Emma, educate him." Snow insisted.

Emma spoke with such an emotionless tone that Killian barely believed it was actually her, the lively Dark Swan who drank and played, who fought and lived with a passion that had brought Killian Jones back to life.

"Because we're family, and family always finds each other."

She dropped her grip making him fall on his back. "I'd usually kill you right away, but I'm in a good mood after having reunited with my little love, I'll give you a choice sailor, make the right one." Killian got to his knees slowly, rubbing his sore throat with his hand, looking around towards where his sword had fallen. "I will let you go if you'd like, just tell my dear ol'daughter that getting involved with her was a mistake, vow to never see her again and all your sins will be forgiven." The Queen said. "Oh, I'll even let you keep your boat."

He looked to Swan, seeing the despair written across her face. She nodded her head. _Do it._ Her eyes practically screamed. She wanted him to abandon her. She wanted him to leave.

But he had heard her voice, free of emotion, accepting of her fate.

 _"Why do you let them do this to you?" Milah had asked one day, a cool cloth against his temple, he winced._

 _"Because he's the captain." He had said simply, no anger, no fear, no resentment, just acceptance._

No. He couldn't let Emma go like this, to a fate eerie similar to his own. He loved her. He would not let Emma down, not like Milah, not like Bae.

But the Queen had magic, and swords, and guards, he was out numbered and out matched. Killian considered lying, to come back for Swan later, but had a feeling that it wouldn't be possible, that this choice was a life time deal, magic was unpredictable like that.

He could get away with his life, but never see Swan again.

And what was life without his Dark Swan at his side?

"Aren't you mother of the year." He droned, rolling his eyes. "I would _never_ leave her, I would rather die than to _abandon_ her like she's been abandoned _all her life_." He got back to his feet, holding the sword, not a single tremor in his body. "She may be your blood, but I've found blood pretty unreliable of the late." He added.

"No! Killian! Don't!" Emma yelled, squirming in the guards' iron tight grip. "Get out of here!"

He looked at Emma smiling. "I'm a pirate love, its bad form to leave a lady in distress." He added a wink for good measure.

The Queen sighed, growing bored quickly. "Huntsman, be a dear?" The Queen said waving one of them forward. "Get rid of it."

He saw the man immediately to her left, dressed differently from her other knights as he could see the man's face, a cruel sneer on his lips, the only expression he'd yet to display, stepping forward. "Of course my Queen."

He extended his blade. "Is she worth your life pirate?" The man asked blankly.

He flashed another grin at Emma, hoping to ease her fear and panic. "I intent to find out." He vowed. " _Because I'm not dying today_."

The Huntsman was the first to move, a blow aimed towards his neck, similar to how Emma usually started their sparing matches when she was teaching him. He easily deflected it, along with the second, a feint trying to stab at his chest before aiming towards his shoulder, another identical move of Swan's.

"No. Really?" He said eyeing Emma and the Queen before back to his opponent, just in time to block a mad swing at his head, had it be any other motion, Killian would have been dealt some damage, but Emma adored using it when Killian let his mind wonder. "You know mate, you fight just like your daughter." He said in a loud whisper, surprising both the man and the Queen. "You might want to learn some more tricks."

Emma just smirked. It gave him the perfect opportunity to allow the man to get some ground on him. "You see, unlike you, I actually take the time to learn new things every now and then." He lost enough ground for the Huntsman to stumble over some loose rigging, sending him tumbling away, sword going flying.

He kicked the sword away from the huntsman, before smirking, and putting on a face of mock surprise.

"Who left those lying around? It's so hard to get good help these days, isn't that right your majesty?" He snickered, aiming his weapon at the Queen. She barely even blinked. "Now unhand her." He ordered, pointing to Emma.

Emma was looking mighty pleased with his handy work, obviously taking credit or teaching him so well, he could see her body tensing, trying to fight the enchantment, but was unable to move a muscle, only able to say his name in a breathy whisper.

"Your Majesty!" Cried another set of guards on the other end of his ship. Killian freezes backing up, seeing them leading none other than Henry over, his arms bound behind his back, limping badly. It makes whatever victory he previously felt drain away. "Look who we caught in the lower decks?" They said triumphantly, holding a blade beneath his neck.

"Mother! Stop this. Let them go." Emma said getting the woman's attention. Killian stared at Henry and then back to Swan, knowing what she'd want him to do; she'd want him to help get her boy out of harm's way no matter the cost to either of them. He whirled around to face them as they tightened their hold on the poor boy.

"You heard that? My dear estranged daughter wants you to let her ward go, do it." The Queen said with an evil sneer. Killian felt more malice in those few seconds then he ever thought possible. There was no way in hell they'd let Henry go.

They dragged him towards the edge of the deck.

"Henry!" Swan screamed in agony.

He went after them, realizing with a sickening dread what they planned to do to him, to throw a helpless boy, tied up and injured right over the side of the Jolly Roger. It was certain death. He leaped over, dropping his blade, grabbing Henry's arm, seconds before he fell completely, leaning over the railing. His feet just touched the ground.

"Henry!" Swan screamed in agony. He saw the boy look up, squirming, trying to get the ropes free.

"It's ok lad, I got you." He said low, trying to pull him up, he just needed to get him up, or at least undo his bindings, give him a fighting chance to swim to freedom, could the boy swim? He doubted Swan would let him be around water if he couldn't. The boy could swim to safety.

"Killian!" Swan screamed again, a second too late as he felt something sharp enter his back, felt fire scorch through his chest as he gasped, tightening his hold on Henry as he felt blinding pain over take him. He looked down at the blade protruding from his chest, blood seeping around his clothes at an alarming rate. It took him a moment to realize what happened.

 _He stabbed me._

Killian gazed down at Henry, finding his grip loosening on the boy, his limb getting heavy.

"Killian! You're bleeding!" The boy gasped, eyes wide. The inside of Killian's mouth tasted distinctly like blood.

 _He killed me._

He looked at Henry's scared eyes and gave him a simple smile. The last of the rope came loose.

 _But Henry will live._

"Geneva." He said in a choking voice. "A woman…Elizabeth…take care of you…" Swan didn't want him to be alone. He didn't know if Swan had any contingency plans for the boy, but at least, he knew there were options.

Henry nodded gratefully. "You saved my life." The boy said in a whisper. "Thank you." And he slipped through Killian's fingers dropping like a rock into the ocean. Killian's body felt numb as he slumped.

"Turn him around, I want her to see his face." The Queen laughed, but her voice sounded so far away.

"No. Please no. Mother I'm sorry, let me go, let me heal him." Emma pleaded as he felt something jerk him around on unsteady feet, he felt like a puppet on strings, the fire was spreading through his entire body, but his eyes landed on hers. "I'll never run away again, I promise, just let me heal him, please!" Her once fierce green eyes were rimmed with tears.

"Darling, what did I tell you about leaving your toys out? Someone could break them." Sneered a voice. Who's voice was that? He didn't know. He did know but it was hard to focus. But when it came to Emma, it was all he could do, he wanted to memorize her face. Her distraught tear soaked face

 _Don't cry Swan._ He wanted to say, but he felt the piercing feeling, a sword? It had to be a sword right? It twisted and left his body, the pain making him groan, unable to form a single word. He tried to however, tried with everything he had.

 _I never told her I love her._ He realized.

Perhaps he should rethink his position on that, if he had more time after all. Killian's knees gave way as he collapsed on the deck. He looked up at the sky, a pretty sky…

"Come on mother! You love deals. I heal him, and I'm yours, no dagger, no anything." She yelled. He heard chains loosening, felt someone hovering over him. She was blurry, but she looked like an angel.

"Oh Killian, I'm so sorry. I'm so sorry." She sobbed. He felt her hand on his chest, knew that the second he felt the warmth, her fate would be sealed, her curse making her deals forever binding. He grabbed it, bringing her hand to his face, kissing her hand gently, trying to meet her eyes but it was hard.

"Killian. Its ok." She pleaded. "I'll make you ok, you can live your life happy." He shook his head, bringing her hand, still away from the wound, laying it on his heart. He hoped she understood…what he was about to do.

He rolled to his knees, feeling the blood spilling out of him.

"Killian! Stop! Don't exert yourself let me-" He pushed her away.

"Be free Swan." He said, or at least he hoped he did before he grabbed the edge of the boat, and with the last of his strength, pulled himself up and over the side. He caught her eyes weakly before he fell.

"No!" She screamed in sudden realization, he felt her reaching for him, but she just missed the edge of his jacket.

"A burial at sea, isn't that lovely?"

And then he hit the water.

* * *

Finally got to this chapter. You have no idea how long I've been waiting to get to this point. The chapter turned massive because of the way I break of the perspective...I don't think anyone minds long chapters...

I'm posting it a little early since I'm procrastinating on what I'm supposed to be doing.

I hope people are still reading this, reviews have really slowed down, you're still out there right?

I'm not ranting on Brothers Jones because I honestly didn't really like the episode. I don't know, I mean backstory on Killian is always nice, I have a new pirate name to use for future reference, and more of a read on Liam's character, but most of it just felt flat to me. I haven't felt so eh about an episode for a while. (probably since 5x09, but that was due to its lack of relevance to 5x08).

Guest Reviews:

andria: I hope you liked this, lots of Captain Cobra, Captain Swan etc.

~Luna


	11. Chapter 11

Chapter 11

Her Dead Sailor

Seeing Killian with Henry, talking, keeping up with her kid's sharp wit, it was what she always wanted, she always wanted Henry to have a male role model, sure he had her and his mother and grandmother, but it wasn't the same.

Emma had once thought she had found that in Graham, he was good with Henry, always kind, teaching him valuable skills at survival, but the guy's people skills were a mess, barely could put a sentence together in front of anyone that wasn't her or Henry.

Henry couldn't talk to him about things, problems; he couldn't seek comfort in the man after having his heart broken by his first crush, definitely couldn't goad him into an hour's long discussion as he'd done effortlessly with Killian.

Besides, Graham was dead now, and Killian was very much alive.

So there she sat watching Killian prepare to depart, she'd seen him go about the same tasks by himself, it usually took a good 20 minutes, so with Henry helping out, she knew it was only a matter of time before-

Emma suddenly felt something cold clamp onto her wrists and arms pulling her arms behind her back. She tried to thrash and scream but found her efforts futile;

She looked over to them, her boys, knowing very well what was happening. That they had spent too much time in the village, lulled into a false sense of security. They thought they were safe, but they were wrong, everything was going to hell. They were found.

"Hello my sweet girl." She said, voice dripping in delight, delight that Emma found cold and empty. It made Emma's fight reignite as her mother approached, placing both hands over her cheeks, smiling. "It's been too long." She noted.

Emma rolled her eyes, finding that the guard had released a hold on her mouth. "Sorry, that you made visiting hours so strict." Emma spat out. "Well you have me, now come on, let's go." She said sarcastically. "I know how this works, you'll put me under a nice sleep spell, chain me up in the bottom of your ship and put me back in my tower. I'd rather just get to the part where I break out." She sneered.

Emma begged for this to happen, for her to just leave Henry and Killian be. Emma's greatest fear was leaving Henry all alone in such a cruel world. But he'd have Killian, while he may not be his father, it was better, Killian was better. She had faith that Henry would be in better hands with Killian than anyone else.

She loved him.

"Sweetie, you know how this works." She said with a chuckle. "You misbehaved, so now I have to take away your toys." She lectured.

Her heart sunk. Her mother always called the men in her life toys. Emma glanced at her father, standing stoic besides her mother, barely reacting, like always.

 _Was she going to take him too? Lock him away? Take his heart? Make him another of her heartless slaves?_

Killian wore his heart on his sleeve, sort of like her, guarded but driven by emotion, an emotionless Killian wouldn't be Killian at all. _It would destroy him._

"I've been watching you princess." Her mother continued. "And this toy's not like the rest. Both of you need to be taught a lesson about defying _Your Queen."_

Angry images exploded in front of her eyes, of what she did to the last 'toy' who defied her. Emma's next words tore from her throat before she could stop them.

" _No!"_ She screamed. Graham. She had done it to Graham, seen the kind socially challenged huntsman and _destroyed_ him. All he wanted was to be left alone, but Snow couldn't allow that.

"You will not lay a hand on him!" She growled.

Her mother smiled. "We'll see." She said before waving her hand and appearing behind Killian, he already had his cutlass drawn.

"Dark One?" He called cautiously, an obvious sign that he knew they weren't alone. Emma looked around, finding the ship empty save for the guards that held her tight and her parents.

"Isn't that a little formal darling?" Her mother said with a chuckle, making Killian turn around sharply, blade pointed "After all, you both seemed pretty close in the tavern." She sneered, "Do you have no shame pirate?"

Blue eyes trailed over to her, looking her over, searching for a plan.

 _Didn't he see that it was too late for her? That the only possibility of survival was for him to run? Get as far away as possible?_

He tried to bolt for her but Snow waved her hand, a red glow flashed around him, freezing him in place. Emma watched helplessly as she slowly walked towards him, cupping his cheek, rubbing smooth circles. It burned Emma up inside, letting whatever darkness she had unsealed, _rage_.

She was _touching him._

"Get your hands off him." She ordered. "He's _mine._ " She declared. Her mother was always touching her things, but not this one. She couldn't have him! _Not her sailor!_

Emma tore herself from the guard, biting his hand for an opportunity, taking whatever chance she had for freedom. Snow shot her a bored look, flicking her wrist, causing a tremendous force to crash down over her, pinning her arms besides her, standing on shaking limbs. It hurt like hell.

"Relax darling, I just want to see who freed you from my tower, took advantage of your gratitude." She teased; drifting towards her daughter in such a carefree way that you'd forget that she was systematically tormenting them. When she got close enough, Snow fingered the pendant Killian had given her. "Did he give you this?" She whispered with a cold glare. "Some sort of symbol of you _belonging_ to him?"

Ah Emma could always count on her mother's possessiveness. She hated the fact that Emma kept tokens of those close to her, her father's symbol to represent her dead brother, her Swan Key chain for her son's father, Elsa's yellow ribbon, and the leather strap from Graham's hunting shoe. Snow didn't understand this, seeing it as ways Emma was tethered to things other than her precious dagger.

Emma smiled at the memory of her nervous Sailor gifting it to her. He had seen it and thought of her. It was curved with a sharp point (this one dull as it was in fact jewelry) it could leave ugly wounds in whoever fought against it, but once it…hooked onto something or someone, it was hard to pry off.

It meant the world to her, and while the thought of filthy hands on her beautiful charm boiled her blood, she couldn't help delight in the fact that the image would burn into her mother's skull. Her mother never had a single thing of her late loves. Emma had something from everyone she let into her heart.

Plus the fact that Killian chose this moment to reply, it sounded forced as it was probably taking effort to resist her mother's spell. "Just the opposite love." He said with a grin. "It's a symbol that she has me hooked on her, wrapped around her finger."

Oh God, don't let anything happen to him, she just loved him too much.

Snow's eyes flickered with rage as she leaned in close, whispering just enough to hear.

" _Are you ready to watch me break your toy?"_

 _No. Emma wasn't._

She watched Killian, looking for a way out, there had to be a way out of this; there had to be!

But there wasn't, after a bit of her mother trying to hurt him, bringing up what little she knew of his past, as well as physically clawing at his face, spilling blood, Killian finally took a stand. He was offered a choice, leave her and live, or fight for her.

She begged him to leave her. It would hurt, break her heart as she knew of her mother's powers, had he lied, Killian Jones would never see her again. But he didn't, he refused. It wasn't a declaration of love but…it was close enough, close enough for her. He had fought off David with not ease, but with confidence, which was better.

And for a second, Emma thought they could do it. That they could find a way out of this mess.

"You Majesty! Look what we found hiding below deck!" Called a guard.

Emma's heart sank, Killian visibly paled, glancing at her sadly. Words exchanged with just his gaze. He had to pick him. Killian would pick Henry over them. She gave a silent nod in understanding.

She pleaded for her mother to let them go, she felt helpless, and thought that perhaps that begging would get her mother to show her mercy, anger and demands definitely wouldn't do it. Snow would just kill them to spite her.

"You heard that? My dear estranged daughter wants you to let her ward go, do it." She chuckled.

For a second she was confused, but then they moved towards the edge and she knew. Horrified, she screamed his name, forcing her magic, desperate for it to come to her aid. She needed it. She needed it! No. No. Not Henry. Please.

The next things happened so fast. She heard Kilian's blade clatter to the floor, saw Henry go over and saw Killian leaning over, grabbing him. He must have grabbed him as Emma didn't hear the splash. He kicked slightly, keeping from falling for the ship for a moment. Emma could hear him say something softly. She didn't understand, why wasn't Killian pulling him up?

Before she could question it, she saw movement in the corner of her eye, Charming was up, picking up Killian's sword.

No. Her father had honor, stabbing someone in the back was…

…something her mother would do.

Emma saw her nod towards him.

"Killian!" She screamed, a second too late as the Huntsman already had his blade through her pirate with a sickening sound.

Killian let out a cry of pain, but didn't move for a moment. She heard a splash.

"Henry!" She screamed again. Killian dropped him. Killian was stabbed and so he dropped Henry.

"Turn him around, I want her to see his face." She declared. Charming pulled Killian from the railing, turning him like a puppet at his mercy.

"No. Please no. Mother I'm sorry, let me go, let me heal him." Emma begged, she would never run away again, sell her soul, anything as long as this…as long as someone else didn't die. He couldn't die. She loved him! He was her sweet deckhand, the light in her darkness! No!

But Emma's denial cleared when she saw him, Emma knew it was it, that her hope was gone. The blade thick with blood protruded from his chest, his deep blue eyes looked faded as they trained on her, his lips now red as he tried to take deep ragged breaths, curved to a gentle smile.

He tried to mouth something; Emma imagined it was I love you. Perhaps it was petty and small minded, but it was what she clung to. She clung to the fact that Killian loved her in the end.

Killian let out a silent scream as the blade was twisted and removed, dropped to the floor, seconds before Killian's knees crumbled too.

"Come on mother! You love deals. I heal him, and I'm yours, no dagger, no anything." She pleaded. Her mother looked at her, narrowing her gaze.

"You heal him and you promise to never run away again?" Her mother repeated her terms.

Emma nodded eyes rich with tears. "Yes." The guards released her, chains still present but with enough slack that she could bend over him, see him take each breath, each more painful than the last. Killian's skin was so pail, his blue eyes looked more grey than blue. He was in agony.

"Oh Killian, I'm so sorry. I'm so sorry." She sobbed, finding the center of his blood soaked shirt. She called on her magic, feeling it build in her palm, just enough to heal this, it was just enough-

Killian reached over, pulling her hand away, pulling her knuckles to his lips slowly. She watched mesmerized as he kissed it lightly, a last kiss she realized

"Killian. Its ok." She pleaded. "I'll make you ok, you can live your life happy." He could sail around, forget about her, be the man he's always wanted to be. Maybe-maybe even save her son. He placed her hand over his heart, eyes meeting hers. A silent message hung in the air and it took Emma too long to realize it. He rolled over, getting to his feet, blood dripping down to into the wood, she tried to stop him but the chain didn't give her the slack.

"Killian!"

He mumbled something.

She tried to grab him, watching the acceptance glowing brightly as he tumbled over the edge.

"No!"

He fell into the frigid water. He fell to keep her from getting her end of the deal. He fell to protect her. No one had ever protected Emma before. Only Killian.

Her mother's next words were a blurry taunt, she turned, darkness bubbling. She promised hell upon her mother. She would pay, she would die for what she'd done.

Emma's purpose had always been to live, to survive, to protect her son by all means. It was to get captured when her mother's hunts got too close to the cabin, to kill when it looked like Emma's heart was softening, keeping anyone from asking why. Once Henry figured out the truth, it was to make Henry proud of her.

Now? Emma had nothing, it was fair that Snow would have just as much when she was through.

"Burial at sea, isn't that lovely?" She drawled.

"Too bad about your pirate, would rather die than for you to touch him." She snickered. Her mother wasn't stupid; she knew what had actually happened. She just wanted to twist the knife.

The Dark Swan snapped. She roared hissing, spitting, promising death as they dragged her back to land, as they pulled her into a dark carriage, securing the shackles on her wrists around her body, burning her skin were they touched with their anti-magic metal, in the cage made of black leather.

They were sinking into the sea, her boys, in pain, drowning, dying, and she couldn't do anything about it. She was helpless again, just like with Graham. She swore she'd never be helpless again.

"It'll be ok Emma, we'll be home before you know it." Her mother assured her, closing the door.

"It's not Emma." She snarled. "It's the Dark Swan."

X

She saw him die.

Days ago sure, days filled with haunting images of that moment, thoughts of what she could have done to prevent it, maybe if she had been helping rather than watching like some guest on the ship, they wouldn't have surprised her, maybe if she had insisted they hurry to leave they wouldn't have been found, maybe if Killian had never met her, he'd still be alive.

Days later, Emma was sure that this feeling in her chest, this raw breaking in her chest would never fade, that this was the heartbreak that would kill her, had killed her. Her body just didn't know it yet.

It didn't know that without Killian, Emma was dead, in the bottom of the ocean too. She was dead because of one single fact.

 _His last thoughts were of her._

It reminded her of all the others who had died in her arms.

" _Thank you."_

Just another dying confession in the string of them.

" _This is your fault."_

Why was she cursed to see the men she loves die? But the latter two she had at least held them through their last dying breaths, Killian had been alone drowned, last breaths choking and alone.

 _He promised Henry wouldn't be alone. He kept his died together._

"But what about your promise to me?" She whispered. "Where are you Killian? _You left me all alone!_ " She screamed, thrashing violently. " _Where are you?!"_

She wanted to break down, there in the back of the carriage, to sob beyond control. She was trapped again, and worse they were dead. She had no more reason to fight. They were gone.

Killian and Henry were dead.

Henry drowning, helpless as she couldn't save him.

Killian killed because she loved him and Emma was pretty sure he loved her. He just never told her. No one did, no one ever told her that they loved her, always dying or leaving before they got to that point. The point that made it real.

But now at least, Emma refused to do that, to break, to let them see, instead she held on to her anger. She let it run wild, it burned and burned, she didn't have to worry about it hurting anyone because there was no one left it could hurt. She wanted to burn the kingdom to the ground, she'd dance and laugh in the ashes.

There was no one left that she cared for.

She would let the darkness out to play, she would rip her mother's beating heart from her chest, slowly clench it in her hands before stopping, and then she'd leave her mother in a cage for the rest of eternity.

Her father? Oh, she'd stab her father through the heart and toss him out to sea. It was what he deserved.

"I'm going to kill you." She laughed at the guards around her, hoping to feel their fear, get at least some sort of satisfaction to dull a bit of her pain. "I'm going to kill every one of you, and your families, anyone I can. I'm the Dark One. I have nothing left to lose!" She crackled for extra effect.

Then suddenly, something in the carriage changed, she wasn't sure what, it wasn't magic exactly, but Emma just felt something, it felt like something touched her arm briefly. It made her turn around. It felt light and beautiful and it smelled like the sea and leather.

"Killian? Is that you?" She asked, half thinking she was imagining it, half hoping she wasn't. Emma wasn't a very spiritual person, but the thought of last words with her sailor, she'd believe in anything for that chance. The air sparked and she saw him, a flicker in the dark, but she knew him, his scent, his touch, it was him. She felt his hand over her cheek, a familiar gesture, she placed her hand over his, closing her eyes. If she closed her eyes it was real, not just her own grief calling on his spirit.

"I can't hear you. I can barely see you, but I know you're here. I don't know how, but I just- I just know." She said aloud. "When you love someone, you just know." She said sadly. "I'm sorry, I can't. I can't let her live for what they did, they killed you and Henry." She could practically hear him whisper in her ear, begging her not to. Killian hated killing, he didn't want her to darken her heart, but what choice did she have?

 _"_ You're probably disappointed in me, but I'm weak, and I'm angry, I've never been so angry." She added, dropping to her knees, self-hatred flaring. But Emma had nothing but anger left. If she let her get away with this, whatever she had left would drift away, she'd be nothing.

But she wasn't nothing, she was never nothing. It was time to stop pretending she could be happy like everyone else, that she could keep them safe, it was time to realize what she was. She could feel arms wrap around her, an attempt at comfort, but it did the opposite; her eyes were open.

 _"_ They're going to die. They took the last of my light away, they took you and Henry away, so now it's time for me to stop fighting my nature."

"They need to be punished because…I'm the Dark One." She said as she pulled away, turning away from the presence. His image just stood there, in shock. She tried to sleep.

But no sleep came. She sat there, flat on her back, plotting.

XX

"Sweetie. We're here." Her mother chanted as the carriage stopped, driving her out of her happy thoughts, thoughts of paining pretty pictures with blood stained fingers. She looked out the window, brows furrowing, Emma didn't see her tower. "I thought you'd like to spend some time in your old room before going back home, doesn't that sound nice?" She explained.

Emma hissed wordlessly.

 _Home was target practice with Henry, teaching him to read, laughing at his blunt way of asking questions._

 _Home was sword fighting with Killian, snickering as he lost his footing, offering him a hand to get back up._

"Emma, use your words darling." Her mother scolded.

"I hate you. I want to watch you die." She said cheerily. "Why mother? Why do you kill everything I love?"

Her mother hesitated. "Because Emma love, when you fall in love, you gain hope, and do you know what hope is darling?"

Oh she knew. Emma knew. "Hope is dangerous and should be snuffed out. So baby, do you feel hopeful?" She asked in a taunt.

"I hope you die." She snapped back, pulling on the chains, making them rattle. She pulled and pulled hoping for a lose link, a weakened segment, anything to feel her power again, she could feel it just under her skin, but was unable to pull it all the way out.

The doors sung open as she got to her feet rushing forward to do anything she could to her captors, bite, kick, scream, she wanted to get away, needed to get away.

 _Killian had died saving her, he had died so she could be free. He should have left her to rot! She wasn't going to rot!_

Powerful magic stopped her dead in her tracks, covering her body with a terrible weight and forcing her onto her knees. Emma's entire body trembled in agony, but she managed to look up, seeing her mother's hand glow with power as the guards unchained her from the carriage and decided to drag her with them up the palace steps.

Emma was thankful the weight eased, but only enough to stand and walk with them, whenever she tried to change direction or fight, the weight would hit her and she'd be led back.

Emma assumed her mother did this as a linkage to her father's roots as a shepherd, her way to lead her like her little lamb. It wasn't long before she laid eyes on her familiar pink room. She saw her bed in the middle of the room as well as her closet filled with stupidly frilly dresses.

"I'm going to kill you, every last one of you!" She hollered as they chained her to the far wall, before closing the door, she heard the click of the lock.

Emma waited a moment before slumping to the ground defeated, her anger simmering away, replaced with agony and grief.

(who was she kidding, she'd felt nothing but grief since Henry dropped into the ocean, since a badly wounded Killian followed right behind him)

She curled up into a ball and sobbed uncontrollably into her arms, hands gripping the hook around her neck like a lifeline.

" _Why did you kill Hans?"_

 _"He was hurting you, I didn't want that."_

 _"What exactly do you want sailor?"_

 _"What do I want? What do I bloody want? Are you really asking me that?...You."_

He had wanted her. He had chosen her. He had died because he would rather die than be apart from her; rather die than to fail her.

"Damn you Killian." She sobbed, pulling it with a snap from her neck. "You died on me. Another man has died on me."

 _She kissed him as his heart turned to dust. He smiled as his body dropped to the ground. He looked at the sun as his final breath left his body._

 _She had screamed bloody murder, sobbed into his chest, but he was dead._

 _They were all dead._

"You and Graham. You both gave me your hearts and I let you down." She sobbed, throwing it as hard as she could, hearing it bounce against the wall.

And Henry, her poor baby boy. That hurt worse than all else combined. Her son was dead, at only age 14. He never got his first love, his first kiss, his first anything. She might as well die here. It wasn't like Emma had much else to live for, not that she could actually die anyway.

"Emma? What the hell are you doing here?" Emma's head snapped up, sitting forward, tucking herself closer to the wall. If that was her mother, coming in to gloat, she'd lose it.

A second voice shushed the first, venturing closer. "Emma sweetie?" It asked.

Emma's glare softened as she recognized the presence, both of them.

The first had tanned skin, and dark brown eyes, about her age. She was looking at her skeptically, like she couldn't believe she was here. The second had paler skin, ling blonde hair and was ebbing sympathy. She wanting to smile at them, but couldn't. There was nothing left to smile about.

"Lily, Maleficent." She said in realization. "I found you."

* * *

Omg. I got 7 reviews on the last chapter alone, part of me expected that since I sort of killed a main character, but wow, that's support. Thank you so much, I really appreciate it.

Most of this chapter is just build up, I admit to that, but it does reveal a few details.(just not the ones you were looking for)

I promise, the next chapter you'll find out quite a few details about our favorite Deckhand.

Guest Reviews:

 _ **andria**_ : It was very intense to write too, you'll find out soon.

 _ **Guest**_ : I'm glad you're still reading, I'm definitely going to keep posting no matter the reviews, and I'm one of those sporadic reviewers myself.

 _ **Guest-named-Anna**_ : Your review is very interesting, David's motivations will be revealed closer to the end of the story I'm afraid. I'm very excited for that chapter.

Now for my brief rant about Our Decay, so

SPOILER ALERT!

Ok, so I'm a sap and totally think HadesXZelena is genuine on his side, him making Storybrooke for Zelena is so adorable. I feel so bad for her, she has walls just like Emma did, I find Zelena like the evil version Emma could have ended up, abandoned with her cupcake. I still harbor resentment for Hades after torturing Killian, but I still find the ship adorable. (It used to creep me out) I kept shouting at my TV for them just to give the girl to her mother. Zelena was so sad and desperate to hold/take care of her, its heartbreaking. They should totally do the whole supervised supervision until they trust her, that's what they did with Regina for a while right? I hope they get to redeem Zelena fully eventually.

Ok, don't to forget to review!

~Luna


	12. Chapter 12

Chapter 12

Little Mermaid

The pain was excruciating. It felt like fire in his chest, like fire was burning him alive.

But Killian Jones was never one to just roll over and die. He was annoying like that. If he died the first time someone stabbed him and threw him overboard, he'd have died so long ago. So the second he hit the water, his instincts kicked in, the instincts to get to the surface, the instincts to swim, pain be damned.

And oh was there pain.

He could hear Swan's grief stricken screams of rage and pain.

 _Don't cry Swan._

 _Swan. Henry._

And suddenly, while his body felt tired and heavy, while he felt dots cross his vision from blood loss alone, not to mention the fact that the damn huntsman probably hit something important, he knew that if he was going to die, he better make it worth it. He had to make sure Henry made it to land.

He looked around, spotted Henry swimming towards him, Killian grinned weakly, or tried anyway.

"Swim." He gasped, waving him away. "Dock. Stay hidden." Head sinking under the water once before he forced himself back up. It was getting harder to see, harder to swim as his body was no longer burning, feeling numb instead. He knew that the numbness was _not_ a good thing.

Henry turned, grabbing him by the arm. "Killian! Come on! I'm not leaving you!" The boy insisted. He was trying to haul Killian with him, small hands against the deep wound in his chest; it was a sweet but futile effort.

"I'm dead, lad." He said with utter certainty, he could see the blood in the water, leaving him quicker than it should. "I've accepted it for a while now. Leave me or we'll both drown." He insisted. "Let me die a _hero_."

He could see Henry's soaked face, could see tears in the young boy, having seen too much too soon. Killian pulled away from Henry, surrendering the fight, sinking beneath the water's surface.

 _A burial at sea…_ He recalled…someone saying…It was better than he ever expected.

He looked up once more, could see the distorted sun, Henry kicking feet as he tried to grab him before he fell too far, and then Killian saw something else…

 _A tail?_

His eyes fluttered as he started coughing violently.

 _Coughing? How was he coughing underwater?_

Exhausted, his head fell back onto someone's shoulder. Arms…he could feel arms under him, holding his head above surface.

" _Don't worry. You can thank me later."_ Snickered a voice…so far away _._

 _"Is he alive?"_ Henry, that was Henry.

 _"Yes, but let's get you both to dry land so I can see what this deckhand did this time. Hmm?" The voice replied._

 _"Ok."_

 _XXXXXXXXXX_

 _She was in a carriage, on her knees but there was a fire in her eyes, rage, pure rage. She leaped out at him, making him stumble back in fright, but Emma, she passed right through him, banging her fists against the doors._

 _"I'm going to kill you." She laughed. "I'm going to kill every one of you, and your families, anyone I can. I'm the Dark One. I have nothing left to lose!" She crackled._

 _Killian got to his feet, reaching out for her, but he couldn't touch her, his hand passed right through her._

Am I dead? _He wondered._

 _Emma turned, looking right at him. Her manic expression faded._

 _"Killian? Is that you?" She whispered in disbelief._

 _"Emma." He breathed, "Can you-"_

 _He reached for her again, just resting his hand over her cheek, but not touching. He wished he could hold her. She placed her hand just over his hand, sighing, obviously able to feel his touch. Killian wished he could feel her._

 _"I can't hear you. I can barely see you, but I know you're here. I don't know how, but I just- I just know." She admitted. "I'm sorry, I can't. I can't let her live for what they did, they killed you and Henry."_

 _She dropped to her knees as he drops besides her, putting his arms around her the best he could. "You're probably disappointed in me, but I'm weak, and I'm angry, I've never been so angry." She admitted._

 _Killian shook his head. "Please Emma, don't." He begged. She stared right past him._

 _"They're going to die. They took the last of my light away, they took you away, so now it's time for me to stop fighting my nature."_

 _Her eyes, they flickered with pure malice, pure darkness._

 _"They need to be punished because…I'm the Dark One."_

 _Killian shook his head. No. "Emma please-" She stood up, turning her back on him, curling up in a corner feigning sleep, because Killian knew._

 _Dark Ones didn't sleep._

XXXXXXXXXX

He felt something warm on his back, something soft under his face, it was a familiar sensation. He let out a groan as he tried to get off his stomach, just to feel pain exploded behind his eyes and to be pushed back down by a pair of soft hands.

"Killy, haven't we gone over this? I can't work with you moving and groaning." Lectured a voice flippantly, hitting him lightly on the back of the head, he grinned as he recognized it; he hadn't expected to hear her again. But thank god he did, it made his last memories make a whole lot of sense.

"Ursula." He mumbled into the soft thing under him, a pillow? "What do I owe the pleasure?" He forced his eyes open to see that the three of them were in a cottage, the boy sat vigil at his side, trying to keep him still, eyes wide with unshed tears. The woman was on his other side, hand pulsating with her ocean magic directly over the area he had been stabbed. It burned like hell, but Killian knew from experience that she was stitching the wound back together, healing it slowly given the severity of it this time. He wondered how long he'd been unconscious.

"I'm trying to keep you from bleeding to death, but you're really making it difficult, Killy." She replied annoyed.

"My apologies Little Fish. I'll try not to bleed so much" He mumbled, seeing her face flutter in embarrassment at the use of his pet name for her, but kept his eyes on Henry, trying to keep his smile not to look too pained and weak. He reached his hand out, taking the boy's in his own, squeezing reassuringly "I'm fine Henry. Really. Ursula here is mighty fine at what she does." He told him, glancing at the dark skinned young woman sitting at his side. She was in her early 20's hair braided with seashells in a pale blue dress "Besides, it's just a scratch."

Killian didn't need to turn to see Ursula roll her eyes. But it did make Henry grin, and that was the point after all.

"Killian. You saved my life." Henry said softly, "I thought you were dead, you just laid there and I thought…" It made Killian look back to him, hearing the uncertainty. " I've been nothing but terrible to you, and I just don't understand." He admitted with a crack in his voice. "Why?"

He held his smile. The boy looked a lot like Bae, same dark hair and adventurous spirit. His eyes were different however, they looked like Swan.

"Because you remind me of someone I used to know. Because I can see how much your-" He caught himself warily. "How much Swan cares about you, but mostly, because I couldn't bear to think of you in harm's way, lad."

Henry stared at him in disbelief, eyes welling up with tears. "You shouldn't have done that! I'm not a little kid! I can take care of myself!" He insisted, crossing his arms and turning away. He looked so young when he did that.

Killian snickered, making him turn red in embarrassment.

"I didn't mean to insult you lad, even a man needs help now and again, just look at Ursula over here, can't count how many times she's fished me out of the harbor when Smee was through me in." He said glancing gratefully at the dark haired mermaid.

"Smee huh? Are the rumors really true? Did you _steal The Jewel of the Realm?"_ She asked with disbelief?

Killian couldn't help but grin. "What can I say? Piracy is in my blood."

Ursula shook her head, pulling her hand away, allowing him to get up. "Never thought you'd actually stand up for yourself though. What made you do it?"

Killian looked back to Henry briefly, seeing those same eyes, same chin, same determined stubbornness not to need help. The boy was listening intently to the conversation, brows furrowing in confusion as he glanced towards Killian.

"All it took was meeting the right person." He replied. " _They've_ changed my life." Swan and Henry were all he needed now. His ship was back in his control, but what really drove him now, were them.

He closed his eyes for a moment, feeling fatigue grip at his consciousness for a moment. Just a moment, because echoing in his head, was the rather distinctive sound of Emma. He remembers the agonizing scream of his Swan, remembered his dream of her miserable in a carriage, of her promise to kill in retribution for their deaths.

Killian didn't want that, he didn't want her to darken her heart any further. He also remembered the fact that he never-

"Bloody hell." He gasped, getting to his feet before gripping the wall to right himself. Pain shot up his back at his quick movement, a pained groan tore itself from his mouth before he could stop it, he felt like he was about to lose his breakfast, but he pushed through.

"Killian!" Ursula lectures, eyeing Henry in perfect _not in front of the kid_ fashion _._ It made Henry roll his eyes. She stood and gripped his arm as his body swayed. The world was spinning, when did the world start spinning? "Killy, stop, you've been sleeping for three days, you need to rest and recover." Killian ignored the pain as her words sunk in

 _Three days. She's been gone three days, they have a three day head start._

He shook away his fatigue, willing himself better before addressing Henry.

"Henry, we have to go. We have to go now. We might be able to catch them-we-your- Emma thinks us dead lad." He said in near panic, snapping his eyes shut to keep his lunch. "We need her to know that we are alright. We need to catch her." Ursula pulled him back down, saying something about resting, the drain magic causes on the body about needing rest.

Killian didn't need rest, he needed Swan.

"Not my first time needing my little sister's help." He snapped before clamping his mouth shut in surprise at how quick he had said that. He looked up at Henry, hoping the boy hadn't caught that.

"Your sister is a mermaid?" Henry exclaimed in utter shock, his head was going back and forth between them, probably looking for a resemblance. That was what Ursula's fiancée had done when she had confided in him. There wasn't much, Killian much resembled his father just as Ursula was the spitting image of hers. He'd been told though that they both had their mother's knack for adventure.

"Half-sister." He told Henry. "We have different fathers."

Ursula shot him a glare. "Seriously Killian? What's gotten into you? First your challenging Smee, then getting stabbed by the Queen's royal huntsman, and now spilling our secrets in front of a random boy?" Killian turned and glared at her. "Mom's right, you're in trouble."

Bile rose in his throat, and not from his injury, but from Ursula bringing _her_ up, the mermaid usually had more sense than that. She knew that Killian absolutely detested any sort of mentions of that woman.

"Oh, so you and Mother have been talking about me?" He snapped angrily. "You have no idea what you're talking about, Little Fish." He spat, pushing her away lightly. No matter how angry he was, he'd never hurt her.

"Killy, Mother said that you went to get…to free…"She looked around warily. "The Dark One." She said in a whisper, as if saying her title too loud would summon her somehow. Oh how Killian wished that was true. "Please Killian, tell me it isn't true; you know you can tell me, are you in trouble? After you took the Jewel, Eric bought a fishing boat, you can come on it, work for us, it's what you always wanted, no one will ever hurt you again." She insisted, gripping his arm, pleading, but he shook her off.

It was a argument they've been having for nearly a decade.

Killian staggered to his feet. "Killian, we can be a family." She insisted. "Mother misses you, she wants to see you; she doesn't like how you left things."

He just rolled his eyes. _Of course Mother wants to see him, he's all grown up now, doesn't need mothering. Harder to see the infant you abandoned in a fully grown man._ For a second, he wondered if they knew about his fate, he bet she did. Killian glanced at Henry and decided not to ask right away, he didn't want Henry or Emma to know.

"Henry, I think I need something to drink before we head off, would you mind getting me a glass of water? I need to discuss something privately with my sister." He said in a controlled tone.

Henry nodded knowingly, exiting the small living room in the direction Killian assumed to be the kitchen. He lowered his voice significantly.

"Do you know?" He asked.

"Know what?" Ursula replied in the same low voice.

"What happens on my birthday." He replied. "Right after I blow out my birthday candles" He said sarcastically. She didn't need to answer; the sad expression on her usually happy face spoke volumes.

"Killy-" He shook his head not wanting to hear her excuses. Just another person lying about his life. He didn't need to hear it.

"How long have you known?" was his response, avoiding her eyes.

She hesitated, indicating a long time. "I wanted to tell you, I really did, but Mother forbade it." He chuckled.

"Of course she did. She's never really cared for her middle child." He growled.

When he told her Liam was gone, she had howled in grief, clinging to her daughter and new husband in agony. She was there for her youngest, for Ursula, for every milestone, for every precious moment.

She had never even held him, not once.

"It was for your own good Killian." Ursula defended.

"I don't need your protection little sister." He barked back, seeing Henry return and taking the glass with a grateful smile. "Thank you for saving our lives, but I'm not in any trouble." He assured her, getting to his feet as Henry moved to support his side. "As for a family, well, I'm working on that for myself."

He saw Henry grin as he tightened his hold on him, keeping him upright. Killian couldn't help but ruffled the boy's hair affectionately. The boy batted his hands away with an annoyed pout.

"Killian, I didn't just find you. Mother sent me." Killian kept his gaze steady. "Mother says that you are dancing with the devil, she says that if you continue down this path, it will bring you into the darkness, so far into it that you'll never find your way out."

Darkness? His mother was worried about the damn color of his heart?

He turned towards Ursula. "She just watched me die." He told her. "I listened to her scream as she saw me fall down. The woman I love watched me die and she doesn't even know-" His voice broke "I never told her I love her." He turned around sharply. "Not once." He kept his eyes trained on the boy.

"Have a nice life sis." He said, nodding a final goodbye before gripping Henry tightly and nodding forward.

"Come on Henry, let's go get our girl."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXX

They made camp at nightfall, they didn't want to, but they were exhausted from trekking all day and with much insisting, Killian got it through Henry's head that being exhausted when we found her wouldn't solve their problems.

Thankfully, they didn't have to deal much with the gaping hole previously in Killian's chest, thanks to mermaid magic, by in a few days Killian would be as good as new. At the moment, the worse it was just pain, and shortness of breath, nothing Killian couldn't handle. Once he was back at full strength, they would be able to catch the carriage that held Emma.

After parting ways with Ursula, Killian had doubled back to his ship and swiped one of his maps from his collection, giving him a sure path to the summer palace that would have them reach it before Emma did.

It wouldn't be long before he'd have Swan back in his arms, he'd had her just days before, feeling like no time had passed at all to him as he recovered, it made him wonder if it really happened or if it was just some dream of his.

"Why were you angry at your sister?" Henry said suddenly. "You've been really quiet since we left and…sorry, Mom says I'm too nosy for my own good." He rambled. Killian forced a smile before answering.

"It's complicated Henry." He said, not wanting to dismiss the boy, but he didn't want to get into it, not with a boy who's just lost his other mother. It wasn't his place to unload.

"I really hate that word you know?"The boy snapped."I mean 'It's complicated' seems like the only thing anyone says when they just don't want to talk or face the truth. You loving my mom is complicated, my mom loving you is complicated. Graham was complicated, my dad's complicated, Lily not being my real mom was complicated, now you and Ursula, are complicated." He ranted before sighing and crossing his arms in a huff.

Killian frowned, feeling frustration beam off of Henry in waves. He didn't know much about a lot of what was upsetting Henry, but he would tell him what he could.

"I won't tell you everything." He warned. "Not yet anyway. But how about you and I start trying to un-complicate some of it?" He prodded, ready to dive into a bit of unpleasantness

"My mother abandoned the family immediately after I was born, they didn't even know she was with child, they were away in the capital of my nation at the time, she left me with a neighbor and ran off. It took my father and brother _months_ to come back and find me." He explained.

"I found her again only a year after I lost my brother; she was remarried with a man of the sea, gifted with a voice that would lead all sailors to their demise. She would have led the ship I was on to its death but she somehow sensed I was on board. My mother er…requested that the Jewel dock for a few days in their home." Requested? She bloody enchanted all the men on board, all save him.

Apparently he was immune due to their shared blood. The only bloody thing it was good for.

"It was there that she introduced me to my little sister, she was only about 10 years old. Ursula." He continued. "I was outraged when I saw her, with good reason. My elder brother, the one who raised me after my father's death, he told me of what my mother had done, carelessly abandoning her husband and two sons. I demanded an explanation. Her explanation was not something I was happy with." He said vaguely, not wanting to get into that mess. Thankfully Henry seemed pleased with it, nodding in understanding.

"I'm Emma's son, you know, 'I came out of her' kind of son." Henry started. Killian grinned.

"Yes, I'm aware of how that works lad." He chuckled.

"My other mother, her name is Lily, well she sort of adopted me, but I didn't know, not for a while." He admitted. "I was ten when I realized." Henry stopped for a moment, collecting his thoughts.

"How did you find out?" He asked gently.

"Lily-er, I guess you can say that my grandmother is a Fairy, and fairies, any who can share their blood can only have female kids." He explained. "I learned that when I was younger, but it took that long for me to realize what it meant, that I couldn't be her son."

 _Oh lad…_

"So then one day I asked my aunt if she knew anything." He continued, eyes downcast, poking the fire with a stick.

"Your aunt?"

"My Aunt Emma."

Ah.

"The next day the three of them invited me in, sat around me and told me everything."

He couldn't imagine how painful that was, to learn that your mother was actually not your birth mother, and that your aunt was. "I guess it made sense in a way. Lily doesn't particularly like Emma, but she always came back, sometimes within weeks, other times months, but she was always there when I needed her. She just couldn't stay away."

Henry sighed, looking at the sky. "Killian? Do you really love my mother?" Henry said surprising him with the sudden question.

"Yes." He breathed without thinking, meeting Henry's shaking gaze. The boy was obviously shaken "I love her, more than anything." He admitted. "We will get her back." He told him, coming closer. Henry responded, head on his shoulder.

"Mom's been captured before, the Queen always tries to keep her out of her way, but she always escapes, she always says that it's so she can come back for me, sometimes it takes days, other times months, but she always comes back." He admitted, clinging to his coat. "But she thinks I'm gone. I know my mom, she hangs onto hope even if she tries to pretend otherwise, but once she loses it…I'm scared Killian, I'm so scared that she won't be the same Emma I-we love." He said softly. "I know I still have Lily, but Emma and I, it's different. It'll always be different."

Killian shuddered, remembering the look in Emma, the utter furry, the darkness. Henry was right about Emma, they had to hurry, keep her from doing anything reckless. He needed to keep her from getting herself killed. He considered telling Henry, but in all honesty, it was terrifying, he didn't want to burden Henry in what he saw. While it could have just been a pain induced hallucination, Killian knew otherwise, because when you loved someone, you knew, you just _knew_.

It was better to distract him, yes, a nice story always worked with Bae, so maybe it'll work with Henry.

"Henry, would you like to hear a story?" He asked the frightened boy, peeling him gently from him.

"You seem to like adventures, and stories, how about I tell you about how a bumbling Deckhand climbed a tower and rescued a princess?" He prodded.

The boy listened as Killian spoke, leaving out the details that he'd assume Swan wouldn't want him to know.

The boy forced a smile as the tale ended. "I want to save Violet too." He admitted. I don't know if I love her, but I like her. I want to save my family and Violet." He declared.

Killian nodded in understanding.

"Killian…do you think…maybe…you could teach me a bit of that good form stuff?" He asked averting his eyes. "She's a princess and I want to impress her you know?"

He did. He really truly did. For a moment, he was at peace, they would find Emma, they would save her; it would be alright.

"Of course lad, I'd be honored to teach you about good form." They could do this.

"Who taught you?" Henry asked. Killian hesitated. "Sorry, you don't really owe me anything, you don't have to answer." He said quickly.

Killian shook his head. "It's alright lad, my elder brother taught me." He admitted. "Liam raised me from when I was 7 to the age of fifteen, he taught me how to be brave and how to treat a lady." He explained. "I lost him on an ill-fated mission." Killian said cryptically.

"Who raised you when you were 7 and under?" Henry asked innocently.

"My father, but before you ask, he's dead, died for a crime he didn't commit." Killian explained.

"I never knew my dad. Mom says I look like him, but that it's better that I never meet him. She says he's not a good man." Henry admitted. "But I wonder you know? I love my moms, but I'll never have that dad figure, never talk to him about girls or learn to sword fight-"

Killian nodded in understanding. "Well, your mum taught _me_ to sword fight, as for girls, you already spoke about Violet to me, I'm not trying to take the place of your dad, but if you ever want an ear as we're going through good form, I'm open to hear." He promised.

They stayed up for a while, talking, just talking, but eventually they knew they had to get some rest, the pair had a lot of ground to cover in the morning.

Killian was killing the fire when his eye caught sight of something, he watched as Henry limped to where his bed roll rested. "Henry? Are you alright lad?" The boy smiled a cooked grin, nodding.

"I'm fine." He insisted. Killian watched him for a moment, considering insisting. "I've gotten my fair share of bumps and bruises before." Henry added with a reassuring nod. "I can handle it."

Killian back down, nodding in understanding before taking the first watch, they didn't have a sleepless Emma to stay up through the night anymore.

Two hours later, when Killian was about to wake Henry for the second shift, Killian is met with one of the most frightening sights he had ever seen. Killian had thought he had seen everything, knew all the horrors and tortures the world could offer, but now, now he knew better.

Henry was tossing and turning in a restless sleep, body drenched with sweat. Killian tried to rouse him, but He refused to wake up, his skin was fire to the touch. When the boy did eventually wake, he was in a fevered delirium, talking about Graham and his mother, Lily. He barely knew what he was saying.

Killian knew an infection when he saw it and right now, Henry had infection running through his veins. It took a while, longer than it should have, to find it.

A large gash in his leg, looking red and quite painful, it had been patched up in an immature fashion, no doubt while Ursula was sealing his own stab wound, the boy probably thought bringing attention to it would prevent his own care. It looked bloody awful.

Seeing Henry like this, made Killian afraid, so afraid that after trying to save Emma's boy, a boy Killian had grown to be quite found of, he would die here in his arms. He didn't know if he could bare it.

But Killian knew one thing for sure, Henry needed help and he needed it _now._

* * *

Well, looks like Killian made it!

Shout out to Guest named Anna who was REALLY close to this answer, I was on the fence between Ariel and Ursula but eventually decided Ursula would be better. This is where the villains get their happy endings after all.

Hopefully the backstories make sense. I do wonder how Cannon Henry found out, if Regina told him or if he found out in someway.

Guest reviews:

andria: Yes, Lily is Henry's mom and Maleficent is his grandmother I alluded to. I thought alot about different 'villains' and what would be their happy ending, and I thought that Lily having everything that Emma has would be hers (from the brief bits we know about her). As for Regina...we'll see.

Guest: Well, Henry's not dead yet.

Now as for Her Handsome Hero,

Warning SPOILER ALERT.

Ok, so I got annoyed with Belle a lot because I firmly believe that a mother should be willing to do whatever it takes to defend their child, I mean seriously, no dark magic? Your kid will probably inherit Dark Magic or something, just let Gold be Gold. Let him do what's necessary and then contemplate your actions while eating Cheese Burgers in Granny's. Plus, she KNEW he was a bad guy, all red eyed in soul mirror bad, she sooo should have let Gold push him in because then all would be well.

(and Hades, girls like chocolates, dead flowers are creepy)

Don't forget to review!

~Luna


	13. Chapter 13

Chapter 13

Family

She pulled Emma into her arms, she usually hated to be held or comforted, but right now, it was what she needed, oh how much she needed it, her world had just come apart and she just needed Maleficent to just hold her like a mother would her child, even if Emma wasn't. Another figure appeared on Emma's other side, rubbing her back in soothing motion as she cried.

"Oh Emma, darling, what happened?" The older woman asked.

She tried to answer, but it came out in muffled sobs.

"Come on Ems, stay with us, kay? We need you to pull it together to get out of here." The second voice tried again. "No one is better at escaping than you." It only made her only sob harder.

"Oh please. The great Dark One is going to save us? Everyone knows all it takes is a few words to tear her apart." Sneered a third voice. It surprised Emma, making her pull away from the comforting hold, wiping away her tears, throwing daggers at it.

"What are you doing here?" She tried to snap, but there was no bite in her words. The second figure just continued rubbing soothing circles.

"What does it look like? I'm trying to sleep." She groaned. "Keep your sobbing down." She ordered.

"Hush Aurora." Maleficent tried to reason "You're upsetting her." but Aurora just rolled her eyes.

"Why is it always my fault?" She groaned. "Aurora this, or Aurora that. Sorry I was never able to turn into a reptile, or rip the heart out of an entire village, always the disappointment."

Emma flinched, causing the two people at either side to pull her in closer.

"Well at least she's never betrayed her family." The person behind her snapped. "You've been jealous of me, us our whole lives! Poor sad Aurora, you can't do anything right!" She seethed. "Well you know what! You're right! You can't do anything right! You can't even betray us right! News flash sis, you're in the same prison cell as the rest of us, so shut it or so help me-" She trailed off, eyes flickering a deadly shade of green.

"Lily. Enough." Maleficent said calmly, hand over hers. "We're all tired and stressed here, but we can't start tearing each other down." She insisted, turning back to Emma.

"Emma, darling, are you alright? Did they hurt you?"

She shook her head. "I'm fine." She responded, an obvious lie, but she couldn't help it. She needed a moment to grieve for herself first, before-

She looked toward Lily; she was giving her a relieved expression, her dark hair a mangled mess, days' old makeup smeared and her once beautiful dress in tatters. She looked alright; just that her leg was bandaged up with what looked like a piece of bedding.

"You sure?" Lily asked. "You don't look alright." She insisted.

"I just…hate getting locked away, you know that. Makes me…disoriented." Emma said instead, sitting up, getting her breathing under control. "Anyway, why are you being so nice to me? We have the whole, tense sort of friendship thing going for us? Remember?" She asked, only half teasing.

Sometimes they could be friends, but most of the times they were at each other's throats, arguing about Henry. It seemed like they could never agree on anything other than the fact that they loved their boy.

Lily shrugged, watching as her mother went over to talk to Aurora who was sitting with her arms crossed on the other side. "Let's say that right about now, I want all the help I can get getting out of this place." She says. "And you're definitely not my least favorite person here." She adds. "Besides, you look…how I looked when…" She paused. "Emma, what happened?"

Emma tried to smile in agreement, but couldn't.

"Did she tell you why she brought you here?" Emma asked instead.

Lily nodded. "She wants something from mom, but mom won't tell me what." She said with a groan. "Apparently, Blue got Aurora to help _her majesty_ in exchange for the power to take my heart." Lily rolled her eyes. "But we both know that's impossible, typical Aurora, not knowing that you can't take the heart of a child of true love."

Emma gave another weak smile.

 _True love._

 _I love you._ She had told him. _God I love you. I wish we had met so long ago. I wish so many things._

Emma hears an unintelligible shriek of pain as she covers her face with her hands, the memory physically hurting. She hears her friend gasp, and call her name, but she can't, she just can't. She's the one screaming because as much as she'd hate to admit it, he was it. He was it for her and now he was dead.

"He's dead!" She wails, not caring what anyone thinks.

"He's dead."

Lily is about to say something when there are sounds in the hallway. Emma vaguely hears chains rattling and Aurora's annoying voice shrieking.

"Come on Dark One. The Queen has summoned you." Her eyes refocus, and she hears Mal plead with them not to take Emma away, that she's been through too much and that she needs to recover.

"The Queen has made her orders." The guard states stubbornly, gripping the chains that hold her, pulling her away from Lily. She doesn't struggle, knowing it was a futile effort.

"Head up Emma." Lily says gently. "Don't let her see weakness."

Emma returns her smile the best she can. But in all honesty, she knows it's a futile effort, her mother could smell weakness a mile away.

Emma followed behind the guard, knowing perfectly well where they were leading her, the Queen's thrown room. It was large and dark and overly decorated. Snow liked it as it showed her authority to her guests.

"Emma, it's nice for you to join us." Snow greeted, making a chair appear at her feet when she entered. It was a dingy wooden one of course, paling in comparison to the luxurious velvet seat the Queen sat in. Emma glanced over at her father, realizing that at least it was better than his. David stood at the Queen's side, sword sheathed. "Sit, sit, we have lots to catch up on."

At her voice, Emma placed her Dark One's mask over Emma Swan's tear soaked face. Even though she knew her mother could see past it.

"So how are you Emma? Meet any cute boys? Have any made you smile?" She snickered. It made Emma's heart constrict. She was speaking like they were usual mother and daughter. She was speaking like Emma didn't hate her, like she hadn't slaughtered the last boy who 'made her smile'.

"Hello mother." Emma growled, sitting down, crossing her legs casually as the guards secured the chain to the ground, giving it a quick tug before backing away. "Father." She said sarcastically. "Kill anyone lately? Or is that treatment reserved for your only child's hopes and dreams?"

Neither of them even blinked at her accusation, whatever light mocking her mother had initially tried for dissolved, replaced with cold hate. "You ran away again, how did you manage that?" Her mother questioned.

Emma rolled her eyes. "Like Red didn't tell you." She muttered referring to the werewolf guard. "The _deckhand_ set me free. The tower is obviously not what it used to be if an untrained civilian can get me right out."

She scowled before nodding in agreement. "You'll see that will be immediately fixed." She said with a crisp voice. "What I'm surprised about is that you let my puppy live to tell the tale, you never do that, it has me curious."

Emma met her gaze, staring at her mother's cold eyes.

"Murder is an awful first impression." She snickered. "But I take it you know that." She looked to her father, he didn't even flinch. "After you killed my grandmother in order to get my father into your bed."

Her mother on the other hand, did react, flicking her hand and cutting off her air supply. She grasped her neck in pain.

"I told you dear daughter of mine, never speak of that!" She snapped as Emma struggled for breath gasping and writhing in pain, but Emma was glad for that reaction, glad that even after all these years, a daughter still knew how to get under her mother's skin.

Snow held her position for a moment longer before dropping it in a frustrated huff.

Emma just smirked, rubbing her neck, taking a few long breathes as she looked at her mother. "Why not? Tired of me getting everything you want?" She spat. "Tired of me not becoming _you_?"

She got no reply.

"I know what it's like now mother." She said boldly. " _Laying_ with someone I love and who loves me. Having them hold me and love me, and promise to be _mine_ forever." She laughed. "I got what you never got." She said triumphantly, voice was mixed with madness. But grief was madness after all.

"It was better than I ever imagined. Chew on that next time you take my father with your hand on his hear-." She taunted. Her father moved swiftly, kicking her chair, making it knock back and her head hit the marble floor.

She resisted making a noise, but felt the harsh blow all the same. Her ears were ringing.

"Thank you Huntsman. You're right, Emma dear needs to relearn her manners. She's been without contact with civilized people for years, no wonder she's so confused" Snow stated, approaching her, she bent down, her eyes narrowed as she paused. "She's the Dark One. No one could ever love her." She said gritting her teeth.

"What's wrong mother? Not going to remind me of all my faults? How I can't dance or swim? How I never could shoot a bow like you?" Emma spat back. "Killian cared for me anyway, and I loved him. _I loved him and you killed him_."

Snow didn't take her eyes off of her, standing up and looking down at her like one would a bug. Emma felt the tiniest of flicker in her mother's usually cold distant eyes, it was unfamiliar.

"Get her up." She snapped. Her father didn't move at first, he shifted his gaze to Snow, as if trying to understand, but that was unfamiliar too. He never hesitated, not in all these years.

"Now Charming!" She snapped, driving him into action. Her father moved, grabbing the chair and righting it. Her mother moved swiftly behind her. Emma could feel her gloved hands in her hair. Emma squirmed, trying to keep out of her reach.

"Don't touch me." She growled. "I hate you, don't you dare touch me!" But her mother paid her no heed. She pulled through her hair, muttering softly to herself, before Snow let out an audible gasp. She went back around, placing her hands on Emma's face.

Emma just glared. "What? Don't like the soap I'm using for my hair?" She spat.

Snow shook her head; Emma could see deep sadness in her eyes. "Baby…" the woman whispered.

It made Emma flinch; she had _never_ heard a term of endearment pass her mother's lips without there being something in it for her. "All I want is for us to be a family again. Why can't you understand that?" She said softly. Snow White was never gentle or caring, so seeing it now…

Emma felt her breathing hitch.

 _A trick. It's a trick. She doesn't care for me. She hates me. She hurts me, she kills me. She killed Killian._ She said to herself like a protection spell.

"You don't get to call me that." She said softly returning her eyes towards her mother's, Emma's confusion turning to rage. "You don't get to ask me that. I waited my whole life for you to want to be a family, for you to want us to be happy together, but it's too late." She declared, furious tears starting to build. "You killed Killian, I loved him, he was going to be my family, and you killed him." She responded. "You keep me trapped, like one day we can be a family again, but family doesn't trap and control each other, family doesn't hurt each other, I know that, I've seen real family, and the truth is that we were never a family, we will _never_ be a family."

Whatever caring look Emma thought she saw faded with her words, melting to cold anger.

"Guards, I'm done with her. Take her back to her room." Snow snapped, turning her back to her. Emma just rolled her eyes.

"See you later mother dearest." Emma said sarcastically awhiping away her angry tears the guards came in and took her from the room. Emma wished she had her super hearing skills, amplified by her dark magic, because right now, Emma would swear she heard low sobs, and low comforting whispers.

It almost sounded like her mother was crying and her father was comforting her.

But that wasn't possible, her father was heartless, and her mother's heart was too black to love anyone or anything.

XXXXXXXXXXX

Everything just stops when she sees him. Her heart drops, and her first feeling is denial.

A trick, an illusion, he had to be an illusion because Killian Jones was dead, this man here, holding out his sword tentatively could not be him, the man she loved.

But the instant he sees her, his sword drops, a silly grin appears on his face.

"Swan." He says, "Way to deprive me of a dashing rescue." He says cheekily.

And she know. Its him, it had to be him. Her feet are moving before she can even blink, leaping into his arms, hands around his shoulders. He has no trouble lifting her, he's holding her tightly, both of them shaking because after weeks of separation. "You're alive." She says in a half sob, half whisper.

 _They found each other._

She's suddenly kissing him, a breathless kiss because she never thought she'd see him again, and she feels him holding onto her, her back pressed against the wall as he reciprocates with the same desperation and need.

They eventually part, his head against hers, she's looking at his blue eyes, wanting to remember every shade she saw, ever look he ever gave her.

"Emma, my love, my darling." He breathes. "I'm never leaving you again."

She tightens her hold on him, gripping his collar so tight she leaves a permanent imprint of her crescent finger nails in the leather.

"You're alive." She repeats, less of a question but still uncertain.

"I guess that means I'm a survivor love." He winks. He's trying to play it cool but she can see the same tired desperation in him. "Or I would have been."

Emma's heart stops.

Killian melts to another face, snow white skin and blood red lips. Emma rips away from him, it.

"I told you Swan, I'll always find you."

It's not his voice, not his words, not his face.

She screams.

XXXXXXX

Mal is holding her when she wakes up, cradling her like a small child as she shakes. Lily is besides her, hand on her back.

"Hey, come on wake up." Mal says softly. She doesn't smile, but she cuddles a bit deeper in the embrace, needing it to stop seeing them dying. "You slept Emma." She says in surprise. "You never sleep, and you're head is bleeding, you don't bleed."

Bleeding? It must have happened when her head smashed against the marble, but Mal is right, she usually doesn't bleed so easily.

Emma nods, looking at Mal, the usually regal looking ex-fairy. She was Maleficent, the Purple Fairy, kicked out of the fairy council when she unlocked a power from her wings unheard of before. It was said that it was a magical transformation that occurred thousands of years ago when a Fairy met their true love. Apparently it had happened to her. This ancient magic however, frightened most of the fairies, most particularly, the current Fairy Queen, Blue, and so, she and her daughter Aurora were exiled.

9 months later, Lily was born.

"It's happened before hasn't it?" Mal guessed. She nodded.

"With K-Killian." She admitted. "He was exhausted after a rough night and asked me to stay with him. I did." She explained. "It was amazing, I was wrapped up in his arms and I just felt so peaceful that I dozed to sleep for a bit." She admitted. "And then a few days before I was caught. Killian and I we-"

She cut off.

"Oh please don't explain. The last thing I need is talk of the Dark One's sex life." Aurora groaned.

Lily shot her a glare.

"Tell us about him." Maleficent prodded.

"He's a sailor, best one I've ever seen, he can sail his pirate ships all by himself, he knows the ship so well. But he was a coward, terrified of his own shadow." She begins. "He pretended he didn't know how to use a sword, and he blushes when I said anything the least bit insinuating." It had been so funny.

"That doesn't seem the least bit your type." Lily asks, pulling her out of Mal's grip, she's sitting there next to Lily, watching her.

"He wasn't, not at first, I don't know, I saw something in him. He's been hurt by the people that were supposed to love and protect him. I got him to be braver, stick up for himself more, to fight for what he wanted, and he…he showed me another way to be, he made me lighter." She admitted.

"I loved him. He's my true love, I've never been surer of that before in my entire life." She exclaimed.

"I think your right Emma." Mal said, eyes wide with disbelief. "Look down at your hands."

She did, seeing her palms glow white for a moment before they flickered out.

"What the- What was that?" She exclaimed. The chains were supposed to block her magic, why wasn't it blocked? Her hands were usually glittering with black magic, not that weird light.

"Mom, was that-" Lily asked.

She nodded. "Light magic." She told them.

"But I'm the Dark One! I only have dark magic." She insisted.

"Emma." Lily started. "Are you sure…that's all you are? That there's nothing else…special about you?"

Before Killian she would have insisted no, that she was the Dark One. That's it. But now…

Emma wasn't so sure.

XXXXXXXXXXXXX

"How do you like your meal?"

Emma pushed the plate away. "I don't eat." She snapped. It had been days since she had exhibited her light magic, days of her feeble efforts to get it to work. It was the only way they'd get out of here, however, she'd had no luck.

"You don't bleed either." Her mother said casually. Emma rolled her eyes.

"Well my magic is neutralized, so no wonder I'm feeling a little under the weather." She said sarcastically.

Her mother picked up her fork with a bit of steak on it, placing it in her mouth slowly, chewing before continuing.

"Don't lie to me Emma, I'm still your mother." She reminded her.

"Just because you gave birth to me doesn't mean I owe you a damn thing." She snapped. "Why do you care anyway? You're just going to lock me away, out of sight out of mind isn't that right?"

Her mother didn't respond; waving her hand and something appeared next to Emma.

"You threw it; I thought you'd like it back." Snow said softly.

Her Hook pendent, she had been so grief stricken she didn't want to feel its weight around her, the grief had lessened a tad, and seeing it brought it back up in waves, but suddenly it felt manageable with the cold metal in her hand. She didn't say a word, placing it around her neck, cupping the charm in her hand.

"Thank you." She said simply, avoiding her eyes for a moment. "Why?" She asked her mother.

Snow looked at her evenly. "Because you're my daughter." Was her only reply.

"Am I?" She countered. She had light magic, and to have light magic, Emma had to be one of two things, the daughter of someone with light magic, which obviously her mother was not, or…the child of True Love.

Snow narrowed her eyes. "What's that supposed to mean?" She snapped.

Emma wanted to ask her, shout her suspicions for all to hear, but she kept herself in check, she couldn't show her hand…yet.

But Emma did have another question.

"Do you still have it? My bracelet?" She let her voice quake in vulnerability. If her mother wanted to pretend she loved her, then two can play at her game. Her mother's cold eyes flickered.

"Of course." She replied, waving her hand, the bracelet appeared before her, she didn't need to count to know how many charms hung on the silver charm bracelet. 27. The 28th was the silver bracelet itself. "Do you want it back? You threw it when you left, every time you leave actually."

Emma didn't put it on, just fingering the individual charms, the identical sword, the same shield, even the compass. There were many others but those stood out to her.

"Why did you give one to Neal, the Sorcerer's son?" She asked. "You said that you would only do this for your children, just as your father did for you?"

Emma remembered playing with the charms of her mother's bracelet as a child, before she realized how her mother felt about her. "Why that boy?"

Her mother tensed up, eyes flickering with a fear that Emma never saw before.

"Guards! Take her away!" She said in something near panic. Her mother never panicked.

"Snow!" She yelled. "Mom!" She called, wanting, needing an answer, but none came. She was dragged back to her cell, staring at the retreating form of her mother, and in that instant she knew the answer, knew it with terrifying certainty.

When she returned, she knew exactly why she had been removed from the cell, and it wasn't to have lunch with her mother 'like old times'.

"Mal! Lily!" She exclaimed, rushing to their aid. Lily was on the ground, groaning from a wound on her head and Mal was covered in blood pressing onto Aurora's chest. Emma went to Lily, helping her up to a sitting position, she was trying to blink away her disorientation, but Emma could also see tears evident on her face.

"Is it true?" She muttered dazed. "Is Henry dead?" She asked in frustration, a refusal to believe.

Emma's voice caught.

"No. Emma. I told them they were lying that my boy, my little thief, wouldn't let himself get caught by them. They were lying weren't they Emma?" She asked.

She didn't know what to say.

"Emma?!" She said angrily.

She closed her eyes, letting the tears fall.

"No. No. You were supposed to protect him, I've protected him for 14 years, you were supposed to protect him for a few weeks, how could you let- you let him die!" She yelled, pushing her away. "Tell me it isn't true damn it!" Lily demanded.

Emma took a ragged breath. "She already had me caught, there was nothing I could do!" She yelled back, sinking to her knees. "There was nothing I could do." She repeated softly.

Lily let out an agonizing scream sobbing into her hands, breathless screams of grief, going to Mal, her mother. Emma wanted to go to them, to cry with her about their son, but she couldn't, she didn't _deserve_ to.

Emma just _sat_ there for a while listening to Lily's grief, watching Mal holding onto her other daughter, holding her chest as blood pooled, other arm around Lily, a true parent daughter relationship. Emma sunk back in her spot.

She had no one.

* * *

Sorry upload is a little late, but life is difficult at the moment. I must have rewritten this chapter 3 times (months ago but still) let me know what you thought, there were alot of small details that I plan to explain/expand on later.

You know what I wish? That Lily was actually in season 5. When I was planning this out, all the way back in the beginnings of the Dark Swan arc of Once, I THOUGHT Lily was going to be in later episodes or even 5b so I'd have a little bit more exposure to her character before I officially posted this. Oh well, but if you see me being vague with elements of Lily's back story, or if she seems more inconsistent than some of the other characters, that's why. I want to keep certain elements of characters intact, because despite the changes, I always try to keep elements of their original character. Its been making planning things with her r _eally_ hard. I don't want to send her in one direction and then learn something that would have made me go in another direction had I known earlier.

Ok, I'm going to stop my ranting now.

I'm just going to answer guest reviews now.

 _ **andria**_ : Yup, Killian and Henry are Ok for now, you will find out Henry's fate next chapter, as well as another question I recall you asking once or twice before.

 _ **Anna**_ : I'm glad you liked the chapters, I love it when you realize a story has had more than one update since you've seen it, there will be a bit more of a wait before they are reunited, but separation just makes the heart grow fonder don't you think? I think your idea of Emma's revenge is very interesting. I can only say that things aren't as clear cut as I originally made it appear.

Ok, I lied I' about to start ranting over Ruby Slippers. Warning.

Spoiler Alert.

I thought Ruby Slippers was a good episode, its just that Ruby and Dorthy had ONE meeting and they get TLK.

Captain Swan, nope. I bet they're going to keep them from getting any firm confirmation of True Love, maybe even find a way to bring Killian back to life without a heart split because I feel they are supposed to represent a 'real couple' no real people get rainbows or pixie dust to give them confirmation about love, so I feel the writers are going to stick to that. (And leave us all in eternal suspense)

Don't forget to review!

~Luna


	14. Chapter 14

Chapter 14

A Purple Feathered Arrow

Days. They travel for days.

They stop as little as possible, only long enough for Killian to force Henry to eat something, anything really.

"Not hungry." Henry muttered, batting him away weakly. Killian pressed his hand to the boy's head. He didn't seem any better. Killian took a rag, pouring water from his cantina onto a soft cloth, placing it onto his head.

"Come on Henry. You need to keep up your strength." Killian prodded, forcing the broth to his lips. He drank a spoonful or two before he fell back, unable to eat a drop more.

"Tell me another story Killian?" He pleaded. "I feel better when you tell me a story." He sounded so small.

Killian forced a smile, "How about I tell you about when the Princess and the Deckhand had to face the evil Ice Witch?" He prodded, it made Henry smile. Killian told it to him until the boy drifted into an uneasy sleep, it was only then did Killian release the breath he was holding.

Killian ran his fingers through his own hair, trying to calm himself down. He was bone tired but knew that he couldn't waste too much time. He had to get him to safety, whatever plan he had had about catching up to Emma was lost, Henry was what mattered right now. Just her boy.

He'd get an hours rest here or there, but Killian's main concern was to get to a village, one with a healer. He could rest once Henry was safe and healthy, not a moment before. Killian had considered turning back for the last one, but no healer existed and he had a sneaking suspicion that Ursula had already left. Henry was a strong lad. He could make it. Killian had hope.

Killian looked towards where he put Henry down so he can get a few moments of rest, under their blankets and Killian's own jacket. He smiled softly as he watched the boy's gentle breathing, looking a tad better with the wet cloth on his face.

"It'll be alright Henry, ok?" He said softly, reaching over to place his hand on the boy's arm. "I may not be your mother nor your father, but I'll make sure you survive this." He promised, leaning back to close his eyes. "But I need my rest, how else am I going to be able to carry you where we need to go?"

Just for a moment. Killian just needed a moment…

…

…

…

Killian's eyes snapped open in panic as he heard a rustling in the nearby bushes. It made him tense in unease, gripping his sword before rising on unsteady feet. It could have been the wind, or some animal, but Killian's instincts said it wasn't. He moved closer to the boy, keeping his ears and eyes circling, listening to the sounds of the forest.

There were none. Killian remembered another time when everything was this painfully quiet.

"I know you're out there." He called to the presences lurking just outside their camp. "I'm not afraid of you." He remarked boldly. "Come here and face me" He dared. They wouldn't come within feet of Henry, whatever thoughts Killian had about killing would be thrust from his mind. He'd end any life who was trying to keep him from his purpose.

He just remembered the cries of Swan as Henry was supposedly taken from her, murdered. He would get Henry back to her even if he never made it himself.

Killian saw the glimmer, the same glimmer he had seen one other time before, it made him react instinctively, moving swiftly just as an arrow head wizzed by his ear, hitting the tree behind him dead center. He raised his sword higher, could hear the way his heart was pounding in his chest. They didn't want to fight him, they wanted to kill him, loot his body for his possessions. If such people were so cold hearted, they'd leave Henry to die, or perhaps killing him themselves.

Another pair of arrows fired, barely skinning his arm as he used his sword to deflect them.

"Cowards!" He spat. "Take me out from a distance? Slay me without giving me a chance to defend myself or my property?" He demanded.

There was no response, he could feel their presence, closing in on him like vultures over a dying animal. It was only a matter of time before they fired again, perhaps multiple arrows, a frenzy even. Then they wouldn't be so easy to dodge, Killian needed a plan and he needed it now.

His eyes glanced over to the arrow lodged in the trunk, a simple glance but the second he saw the arrow, his eyes widened and he knew. He knew a way out.

"Wait! Stop." He exclaimed, going to his bag and digging out an arrow from his bag, he stuck it in there just weeks ago, on a whim, now he had to bet their survival on a hunch. "I have this."

He raised it up, light wood with a stone shaft nearly identical to the one in the tree, feathers tied in nearly the same way, the only difference was the color feathers attached to the arrow. "It was given to me by one of you. Please. I mean you no harm, I just need help." He begged.

He could hear their rustling and the feeling of being watched eased. "Please. The woman who gave this for me, she owes me a debt, she offered to save my life once, I want to collect it now." He demanded. If they had horses, or a healer, Henry could get somewhere safe and sheltered.

"What do you want?" Came a response, crisp and cold in the shadows. It was her; he recognized her voice, the way irritation made her voice sound like a low growl. He turned in response to the sound, but didn't see her.

"The boy, he's ill. He needs a healer." He said, allowing his voice to waver in desperation. "I'll do anything, tell you anything, just please, I know you are many. You must help us."

Henry cried out just then, making Killian stop and go to Henry's side as he whimpered painfully, hands trying to scratch at the bandage Killian had applied.

"It hurts." He begged, meeting his eyes with a fevered cry. " I want mom and Granma." He cried, sounding every bit the scared child he was.

"It'll be alright. They're coming." He lied. He looked at the bandage, bleeding and in need of changing, he moved Henry's hands from his wound and replacing the cloth at his head, trying to be quick about it, not to lose the strangers' attention, nor invite them to shoot him in the back, that was the last thing Henry needed. He was glad he did it however as it seemed to ease Henry's pain, even a bit.

"He'll die without help." Killian insisted, turning to the empty forest. "I saved your life! Either let me go get him to a healer or bring one to us." He snapped. "The Dark One was ready to burn you all to dust, but I risked my life to save all of you! You owe me."

Silence, but Killian was sure she was whispering to her friends, hopefully on his side. Killian's fight was draining from his body as he gripped a tree to keep his form steady. He was exhausted. If they decided to shot at him, he guessed he'd last a total of 5 seconds. If they just left, Killian wasn't sure he was strong enough to make it to the next town, not in time.

"Surely the Dark One knows of your situation, are you her enemy? We can't afford to help you and earn her wrath." They explained. He could hear the rustling, they were leaving.

 _They were leaving!_

Killian shook his head frantically. "She's been captured by the Queen" He said quickly. "Please, don't go! The boy got this injury fleeing, I promise you. The Dark One would be pleased with your help." He insisted. "If you don't help us, a boy's death will be on your hands!" He shouted, body shaking slightly in exhaustion and furry.

More rustling in the woods caught his eye. The figure came closer and Killian found himself stunned.

"Throw your sword away and get on your knees, hands behind your back and don't try to resist, not that you look like you can in your state" She instructed. "We don't trust outsiders, you'll be our prisoner, but your boy will get the medical attention he needs"

Killian let out a sigh of relief, doing as he's told. "Anything." He breathed, hearing someone approach on his other side, tying his wrists together with thick rope. "Just help him." He added before feeling a sack being placed over his head. He panicked for a moment at the sudden helpless feeling before easing.

"But know this, I believe the woman who tried to save me meant to help me, but if I'm wrong, if I'm just a naïve fool, if I'm walking into a trap, if I've made the biggest mistake of my life, then none of you will be safe if the Dark One learns of your treachery." He warned. "I'll be dead, but she'll come after you and there will be no stopping h-." Suddenly something hit him square in the head, from rage or fear he wasn't sure, but it made him drop to his side, unable to get back up.

"Syd! Stop! Can't you see he's worried about his son?" The female snapped. Killian was barely conscious as two figures hauled him up by the shoulders as his head hung low.

"You're not wrong. I'll take care of the boy, I promise" The woman said softly, close by, as they forced him back onto his feet and led him in a specific direction. Killian believed her, especially as he heard her coo softly as someone, hopefully her, picked up Henry.

"Killian? What's happening?!" He heard Henry shout from where he was. He turned in the direction he heard them.

"It's alright Henry, I'm over here, they're going to help you alright? Everything is going to be ok, I promise."

XXXXXXX

 _"It's your fault!" Shrieked a voice._

 _Killian looked around, seeing a brunette figure standing on unsteady feet screaming at something in another corner of the room, a brunette woman on the floor and a blonde sitting beside her._

 _"You killed my son!" She screamed. "You were never happy with what we had, the four of us, and you've made it your mission to destroy everything we love! I love!"_

 _The woman on the ground smiled towards the woman standing._

 _"Good." She sneered. "Then my mission is complete."_

 _Killian stood watching, unsure what was happening, what they were talking about._

 _The woman turned and looked in another direction. "Emma." She gasped. "Emma!"_

 _Killian's breathing hitched as he saw her in the corner, shaking and crying. He went to her, hoping this time she could hear him, hear him tell her. The brunette went to her._

 _"She gave it to her." The brunette exclaimed, glaring daggers at the two on the other side. "Emma, you have to get out of here. Do you understand? Mom gave her_ the _curse to use on you! We can't curl up into our grief, not yet."_

 _She shrugged. "What does it matter? Everyone is dead, maybe the curse will be like death, maybe I can just stop fighting and join them..."_

 _No. This wasn't Emma, not his Emma. She was a fighter._

 _"Emma, the sleeping curse, there is no waking up from it. Henry wouldn't want us to let her do this! He'd want us to fight just to spite the damn Queen!"_

 _Killian nodded, agreeing. Emma didn't react, curling deeper in herself. He knew what he had to do, she wouldn't fight for herself. He had to make her._

 _Killian went to her touching her arm, trying his best to hug her, she flinched at his touch, looking up, meeting his gaze. "Give it up Lily, I'm never getting out of here. Not this time, and even if I did, Even now, the ghost of my sort of boyfriend is haunting me." She said in a bitter laugh. "I'm tired. Let me rest." She asked. He stopped dead in his tracks._

 _"I'm not a ghost." He said. "Do you hear me Emma Swan?" Killian, took her hand but she refused. He cupped her cheek but she recoiled. He needed her to believe him. He needed her to fight._

 _Desperate, he went to the brunette, taking her hand, she didn't seem to see her. This was Lily, Henry's mother, he hoped she could get through to Emma with a little bit of help. He watched her eyes widened as she let him expose her arm to him, feeling his gentle grasp of her wrist. "Emma, your ghost boyfriend is touching me." She tattled. Emma refused to look up, just shaking her head._

 _The fact that he could touch this woman in a bloody dream alarmed him, but he didn't put much thought into it._

 _"Killian. Please. Go, leave, pass on." She asked. "Take care of Henry...wherever you are."_

 _He traced his words on the woman's skin._

 _"He says 'No'." The woman said. "He tickles." She commented._

 _"Ignore him." Emma snapped. "He'll go away."_

 _He groaned, tracing again more furiously. "Your boyfriend says as I quote. 'bloody hell woman, will you just listen to me?'" She chuckled. "Stubborn ain't he?"_

 _Emma glared at her. "How do we know that this is him and not your mommy taunting us?" Lily asked._

 _Killian hesitated, wondering what to write that would make Lily believe him, and Swan to listen to him._

 _"Oh it's him." Swan said with a small smile. "Believe me, I know." She sighed, standing. He went to her._

 _"You're really blurry Killian." She sighed, he could barely feel her hand on his chest. "Why are you still here? You shouldn't be trapped Killian." She whispered. "Move on."_

 _Killian shook his head. "I'm not dead." He told her. "Neither is Henry."_

 _She furrowed her brows. He wondered if she could hear him. It seemed she could see him better than last time he dreamed, he had no clue what was going on, but he wouldn't look a gift horse in the mouth._

 _"Please Swan." He begged. "Hear me." It was tearing him apart to watch the conflict in her eyes as he grasped her wrist. She eventually sighed and let him have it, pulling back her sleeve. He traced his words quickly. Henry was right, Emma needed hope._

 _"He's ok." She breathed. "Killian, is that really you? How is this possible? Are you saying…"_

 _He traced his next words on her arm, pressing as deeply as he could so that she could really understand them._

 _"Henry is safe." She repeated. "He's alive."_

"Killian. Come on, wake up."

 _He was waking up, Killian realized. He pressed a kiss to the top of her head, tracing his last message over her wrist._

 _"Keep fighting."_

 _She heard him call him, begging him not to go._

 _He'd be back. He'd be-_

 _XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX_

"Hey, come on, wake up." Someone said, shaking him awake. He stirred, and for a second he forgot where he was, thought he was back with her in that dingy room, he pulled at his wrists and found them bound to a tree he was laying against, making him gasp and struggle desperately. "Hey, hey, relax." He was in complete darkness, adding to his confusion.

It was slow to come back to him, Killian was being kept tied to a tree for the last few days, fed and given water regularly, but not permitted to see Henry, or much of anything as they kept his vision shrouded, a way to keep him from being able to identify them or their home base he assumed.

It was reasonable, especially since it gave him the impression that they didn't plan to kill him.

"Swan-Henry." He gasped, as the sack was pulled off his head, he flinched as sudden sunlight blinded him. He blinked several times to clear his vision, he suddenly saw a woman kneeling besides him, dark hair that curled unevenly around her with deep brown eyes in a wary untrusting gaze. She smiled softly, a smile that seemed miles from her eyes.

"Come on." She prodded, cutting the bounds around his wrists with a hunter's knife, and pulling him to his feet. "Henry wants to see you." She said, instantly getting his attention.

"He's alright?" Killian asked. "He's awake?"

The woman nodded. "It was a tough couple of nights but his fever is down now and within a few days, he should be good as new." Killian sighed with relief, looking around the clearing. There were dozens of tents around in all shapes and sizes, people of all kinds were going about their days. It looked very nice and peaceful, shrouded by layers of trees. When they passed by and some got a look at him, the woman would call to their children hide them behind them and the men gripped their tools like weapons. It made Killian feel uncomfortable, like they all thought that he was going to run up and attack them if they looked at him funny.

It made him wonder…

"In here." She said, leading him into a dark green tent. Henry was lying on a blanket in the back of the room sitting up, eyes open, looking up and meeting Killian's gaze. He dropped to the boy's side with a smile on his face, Henry appeared tired, but he also looked much better than he had the last time he'd seen him.

"Killian." Henry greeted with a smile, pulling him in, wrapping his arms around his chest. The close movement stunned him briefly, before he put his arms around the boy and reciprocated the embrace. "They told me you got me help, that you said anything you needed to make sure I was alright." Killian nodded, releasing a breath Killian didn't know he was holding.

"Of course, did you even doubt me lad?" Killian snickered, getting a chuckle from Henry as he released his hold. "How do you feel?" Killian said, pushing Henry's bangs back a bit, feeling the lack of heat from his forehead.

"Tired. Is it true that they tied you to a tree for the last three days?" The boy laughed. Killian rolled his eyes.

"Of course they'd tell you that." He muttered, his hand going to his sore back and neck, trying to rub the kinks out of it before turning back to the boy, turning serious.

"Bloody hell Henry you scared me half to death, why didn't you tell me you were injured?" the boy shrugged, obviously embarrassed.

"I didn't want to get in the way, or prologue finding her." He admitted sheepishly, "It didn't even hurt." Killian gave a sigh. "Killian, I want you to promise me something." He said suddenly, like a thought that had just occurred. "I want you to go after her." He flinched, because the boy was making a very adult request. "Without me. I can barely keep my eyes open, and she needs help, she needs hope." He continued. "Please."

Killian nodded, the image of a defeated Swan replaying in his head yet again. "Hope is a powerful thing. She has it Henry, I can't explain how I know, but I know it." Killian wasn't exactly sure if his dream was anything more than a dream, but he had to believe it was.

"I know how, True Love. Mom says it has the power to transcend realms and break any curse." He recited. Killian chuckled at his belief.

"I promise Henry, I'll save her." He vowed. He'd do it if it was the last thing he'd do.

(In all honesty, it probably would be)

"Ahem." Said another voice, just before Killian was about to start his lecture about the importance of a clean wound.

Killian turned around suddenly, rising to greet the new presence, but the figure, a woman with red hair shook her head, shook her head. "Don't get up." She insisted. She smiled thinly.

"I take it you're the one who saved Henry? I'm in your debt. Thank you." He insisted, watching Henry struggle to stay awake. It was better that Henry got some rest, after all, he wasn't too sure of the motives of these people, they'd have to be careful.

"No, let's call us even; after all, you did save my little sister." The woman explained, smiling at the dark haired woman, patting the spot besides him before she sat down. "But I would like some information, for my trouble, you understand of course."

Killian tensed. "Of course." He said with an edge. "What do you want to know?" The dark haired woman narrowed her eyes at him. He met her gaze evenly before returning to look at the older of the pair, the red head. She had this look about her, obviously the one in charge, but the dark haired woman was who Killian had to watch out for; she was the cynic of the pair.

"Let's start with your name; I already know his name is Henry." The red head began.

"And I have yet to know your name, either of you. I'm grateful for your hospitality, but I don't enjoy being at such a disadvantage." He stated, growing tense.

The dark haired woman scowled, gripping what looked like a dagger under her cloak; Killian simply chuckled. If the woman was getting nervous with just his attempt at their names, then she definitely had something to hide.

The red head on the other hand, seemed cool and confident in the face of his distrust, not even batting an eye. "My name is Zelena." She introduced, saying her name slowly. "I'm the leader of the Merry Men, this is my sister Gina, my second in command." Her eyes flickered to the brunette. "Calm down sister, your making our guest _nervous_." She said with a bit of a crackle of a laugh.

Killian nodded a greeting, holding his comment about how her _voice_ was getting him nervous. "Killian Jones." He replied carefully. "Captain of the Jolly Roger."

Zelena smiled a bit more, as Gina released a bit of her tension "Killian, my sister here says that you are allied with the Dark One." She stated, as if waiting for him to deny the claim. Killian didn't think lying seemed in his best interest.

He nodded. "That I am." He confirmed. "But I mean you and your people no harm, truly." He insisted.

"Can I ask why you'd ally yourself with the greatest force of darkness in the entire realm?" Zelena asked next. "A literal monster?"

Killian tensed. A monster was someone who would throw a child overboard knowing very well that they'd drown. A monster was someone who would torture a teenager until they were scared of their own bloody shadow, a monster was someone who would keep another under their thumb for no reason whatsoever.

Emma was not a monster; Killian was insulted by anyone who would say otherwise.

"No." He said sharply, hoping they could see his distaste for their question in his voice. "You can't bloody know why I'd ally myself with the Dark One. My reasons are my own." He stated boldly. He knew that Emma hated weaknesses, and to learn that he was involved romantically with her would be devastating, he had to make it seem like some sort of alliance.

"Are you being forced against your will?" Zelena asked, not keen on dropping the subject. "I just detest the thought of a pretty sailor like you being used."

Killian glanced at Gina. "I already told your archer that I'm with her under my own free will. My choices are my own." Her dark eyes didn't waver, they just flickered with realization.

"Are you aware that she's killed people? She killed our parents on a whim fifteen years ago." Gina snapped back. "Cursed us?"

Emma was 28, fifteen years ago would make her 13. He wasn't sure if she aged the same as he did, but if she had, then the chances were that she was still under her daggers control at the time.

"I'm aware of her past lass, more than you know." He snickered, trying to pretend like orphaning these girls who looked around his age was nothing. "It's of no concern to me. I'm a pirate, I can tell where the wind is blowing, and it's gusting her way…for the moment." He said crossing his arms, allowing his eyes to wonder a tad making Gina's smile tighten in irritation.

It was amusing to make the brunette's eyes flash.

"Keep your eyes to yourself pirate." She snapped. He just laughed and returned to look at Zelena.

"And you said she's been captured by the Queen?" He nodded. The woman, Zelena scowled.

"Then you're right, we need to get her out of there, we can't have her locate the camp." Zelena said quickly, tapping her fingers to her chin. "She could also fix us if we help her, that's how she works yes? Favor for a favor?"

Fix them? Favor? She was not going to like this.

Killian was always bad at keeping his emotions in check. He wore his heart on his sleeve, and often found himself over his head.

"Aye. I believe so."

Zelena looked towards Gina hopefully, while the younger just glared. "How do we know we can trust you? Either of you?"

He looked over towards a sleeping Henry. "I trusted you; I trusted you with this boy, someone very special to me, surely you can return the favor? The stories you know of her…they're not entirely accurate. " He admits carefully.

"Well we-" Gina grabs the older sister's arm.

"Sister. Let me do this. You know what the Queen took from me, from us, let me be the one who-" They are interrupted when another figure enters the room. Killian watches them bristle in the presence, Gina more so than Zelena, and he suddenly recognizes him, it causes him to take a defensive position in front of Henry.

"Relax pirate" The man laughed. "I have no quarrel with the boy." He cocked his head. "Tell me, what does it take for a man to give up his soul to the Dark One?"

It's meant to intimidate him, strike a nerve, but it brings a cocky grin to Killian's face. He ignores the question, a cocky man like this would find that insulting.

"Tell me, do you still pine for her? The woman that has your heart and doesn't even know it? The one you were willing to barter with the dark one over?" He quips, mocking a bit more than he should. He glances as Gina tenses.

"Oh! Now I see." He says; enjoying the anger on the man a little too much, he looks her over quickly. "I can see the appeal."

The man snaps, striking him in the face.

"Sydney!" Gina snaps. Killian wipes the blood from his lip.

"Oh I'm sorry, did I hit a nerve?" He sneers. "Sorry mate, it appears the lass isn't interested."

The man aimed another blow, but Killian turned, grabbing his fist and pinning him to the floor.

"Jones!" Gina exclaims, pulling him off of him. Sydney was up with a dagger at his throat in the next second, backing him into the far tent wall.

"One reason I shouldn't slit your throat." He snarled. Killian leered at him.

"Because I command you not to." Zelena said, no hint of any sort of emotion, just blatant power. Killian winked as the dagger was lowered. "What do you need?" She asked the man.

"The men were asking what you plan on doing with these two." He said gesturing to Killian and Henry. "They need to be punished for their sins." Killian clenched his fist.

"We've done nothing." He spat. "I saved your miserable life at nearly the cost of my own." He snarled.

The man met his gaze.

"Perhaps you planned it, just so you can invade our camp, just to come and kill us, after selling your soul to such a beast, who knows what you could be capable of." He shoots back.

"I'm here to get help for my ally. She doesn't deserve to suffer." He says honestly.

Sydney laughs. "In my opinion, there is no one who deserves to suffer more than she."

Perhaps it was the exhaustion, the threat to Henry, the image of Swan in misery, the threat of some curse on her life-

" _I love you. God I love you so much."_

-or maybe it was for an instant he didn't see the annoying thief, but the woman who'd taken his Swan, the man who had stabbed him in the back.

Whatever the reason, Killian Jones snapped. He punched the man in the jaw, then in the ribs, then…it was a blur, a blur of red. All he knew for sure was the feeling of Regina pulling him off of him, pinning him to the ground and sort of sitting on him as his ragged breathing calmed down.

"Zelena, you have to put this man down, he isn't stable, he's allied with the Dark One, she must have his heart, he's dangerous." Sydney scowled, getting to his feet. Killian only laughed.

"Perhaps your right mate, perhaps the Dark One really has my soul, perhaps without it I'm a little less…patient." He threatened. "But good news is that your lass has me under her, jealous?" He couldn't help but spitting out.

"Zelena-"

"Go on tattle to your mum." He felt Gina's knee pressing deeper into his back, right over the still sensitive wound, leaving him gasping. It still needed a bit more time before the sensitivity faded. Gina must have noticed that the spot was causing him greater pain than it should as she eased, pressing in a different place.

"Gina. Take care of it." The red head said in a bored tone.

Killian's eyes went wide. "Are you seriously doing what this arse-" He groaned as Gina pressed again before hauling him up to his feet.

"Henry! Kill me, fine! But don't you dare touch _my_ boy." He roared, thrashing. "He's innocent." Sydney neared Henry's sleeping form. He was able to kick at the man, batting him away from him before another man came in, hearing the scuffle, helping Gina haul him away.

"Henry!"

He passed through the edge of the tent, obscuring his view of the boy.

"Touch him and you'll wish _I was the bloody Dark One_." He growled, glaring at Gina, the other had left and she was leading him past his tree and further out of camp. "She'd just crush your heart. You have no idea what I'm capable of." He warned. "Just let us go and we'll get out of your hair." He said pleadingly.

"Shut up." Gina hissed.

"I trusted you!" She suddenly looked around and pushed him to the ground. He rose; ready to defy his code, make her let him go so he could get to Henry when she lowered her blade in a symbol of peace as he got up warily.

"No one in camp would stand for a rescue mission of the Dark One." She explained. "No one except for my sister and me." She explained. "They've wanted to _interrogate_ you for the last few days."

Killian had a feeling that would be a fairly unpleasant experience.

"So the two of us are going to sneak into the castle, get your love back." She snickered with an eye roll.

"She's not my-"

Gina rolled her eyes. "Please, I saw those eyes you were giving her."

Killian blushed.

"Lord knows how you met her and fell for the demo-" He narrowed his gaze.

"Watch it lass. She's no demon." He snapped. "And why are you helping me?" He asked.

Gina crossed her arms avoiding his gaze.

"You mentioned being cursed, what did the Dark One do?" She looked back at him.

"I'm 53 years old." She explained.

Killian blinked, looking her over. "You look-"

She nodded. "My sister is 62, when our parents died, she cast a curse on us, keeping us from aging a day. I want it to stop." She admitted. " _I want to be normal._ "

Killian nodded, it made sense. "And also…" She continued. "The queen has my son."

His eyes widened. "Your son? You have-" Gina shook her head.

"I adopted him last year." She explained. "So I have as much to lose if we can't get in there." Killian nodded.

"And Henry, I take it your sister will take proper care of him?" Gina nodded, despite her guarded demeanor, he felt like she was telling the truth. "Good, then we should head off, you may want to take the lead since I don't bloody know where we are" He snickered.

Gina rolled her eyes, heading forward, not looking back to see if he was still following. Killian followed behind with a smirk.

"Still mad about that 'under you' comment eh?" He jested. Gina didn't reply, but Killian would bet that there was a scowl on her face.

He followed after her, unsure which direction they were going, or if it was even the right one. And after hours of blind following, Killian was getting a bit annoyed with the silent treatment. If he had an inkling of an idea to their location, at least Killian would be able to determine how far away they were.

"Are you going to tell me where we are?" He asked finally as they stopped for a quick water break. She glared at him sharply, an obvious no, as she sharpened one of her arrows.

"Bloody hell, I'm helping you!" He said in exasperation. "I may not look it, but I'm an expert in navigation. Just tell me where we are and perhaps I can help chart the best-" Killian was interrupted by an arrow wising by his ear.

"You know, I'm starting to take you shooting your bloody sticks at me as a term of endearment." Killian said sarcastically, pulling the arrow out of the tree tossing it back to Gina, who wasn't even looking up at him. "Come on lass? If you don't trust me with something I'm going to learn eventually, how are you going to trust me to watch your back?" He insisted.

She rolled her eyes. "I don't trust anyone." Was her only explanation.

"Well that's a lonely way to live." He observed. "What about your comrades in arms?" She shrugged.

"The Merry Men don't like taking orders from Zelina or I lately, they only do it because they know we'd kick their ass if they didn't. They need us, but I don't trust them not to stab me in the back at the first opportunity." She admitted.

"I served on a crew for fifteen years, hated nearly all of them, they always seemed to get a bloody kick out of making my life a living hell." He explained, "So I get it, but you're going to have to one of these days." He replied. "All it takes is trusting the right person and-"

She scoffed. "I'd never expect the Dark One's lover to be spouting a hope speech."

He groaned. "She liked my optimism." He said lightly. "Thought it was amusing."

Gina chuckled. "I find it annoying, stop talking and drink your water."

Killian took a sip, changing the subject. "So what's the story with that Sydney fellow?"

If Killian thought his optimism annoyed the lass, then her face with the thought of this man made her look like she'd swallowed a bug. "Curious pirate aren't you?" She droned, but answers him anyway. "Sydney has a problem with taking orders from a woman, constantly questioning our authority, especially mine." She growled. "Every word out of his mouth has some edged comment at how inferior we are just because of our gender, or to try to get into my bed." She groaned in annoyance. Killian noticed her motions becoming more and more hostile as she sharpened her weapons. "Disgusting little cretin, sexist animal."

Killian nodded. "I apologize for my comment earlier. I was angry, and said anything I could to get under his skin. It was bad form." She stopped, looking at him finally.

Gina chuckled. "Wanna know a secret? I absolutely loved you trying to rile him up; I can't afford to say anything to the jerk." She exclaimed. "I appreciate anytime anyone puts him in his place she admits."

Killian smirks. "I'll let Swan know, her tongue is sharper than any blade." She recalled.

"I'm sure not too sharp." She said with a look, making Killian blush.

"Touché," He replied with a waggle of his brows. She shook her head and then he saw it.

The beginning of a smirk, the closest thing to a smile he'd yet to see from Gina. He found victory in it. "Come on we should get going." Killian nodded in agreement.

"Yes, but Gina? I intend to win your trust, whether you like it or not." He vowed. "Everyone needs a friend." She laughed out.

"We'll see."

It took days to get to the castle, all tall and white marble, vines grew on it, making the castle look older than it was.

"We're here, now what?" Gina asked.

Killian looked at her quickly. "You don't have a plan on getting in there?!" He asked in amazement.

"Why do you think I brought you along, not for the pleasure of your company, that's for sure." She snapped back with, of course, an eye roll. He looked around for a moment, seeing two guards patrolling rather lazily.

"I have an idea."

* * *

Yes, an early chapter. I was so thankful for all the support the last chapter received that I just felt necessary to post early.

I think this answered a question that has been asked since the beginning of this sequel. Yes, Regina _will_ be in this story, just not in the traditional sense of being Henry's mom. Hopefully she's in character enough, there's no Regina without her sass.

Zelena has an interesting role as well, her character is probably the most challenging for me. Maybe it'll get easier I watch them attempt (I think) to redeem Zelena in canon.

Guest Reviews:

Anna:I'm glad you like the dynamic between everyone, I quite enjoyed writing a bitter Aurora. Your theory is interesting, but I promise evil characters will continue to make an appearance, some that (hopefully) no one will expect. Yes, Regina will appear, in this chapter actually.

andria: Good news is, as you can see, Henry is alright. Unfortunately, Henry and Killian won't find Emma together, Regina will have to keep him company instead, hopefully she makes an Ok replacement.

I promise, Reunion happening VERY soon.

Don't forget to review!

~Luna


	15. Chapter 15

Chapter 15

He Preferred Sailor

After Emma had been visited by Killian's spirit, things changed for her, she felt better, lighter. Somehow knowing that he had come back for her, even in death soothed her. Along with the fact that Killian wanted her to fight, so fight she would. But to totally believe his words, that her baby was alright…she wasn't sure if she could do that.

But Lily seemed all too ready to take Killian's word for it, to believe that Henry had survived and was just waiting for them. And while Emma did feel better, she was in no way near that stage. Worse, Lily could not stop talking about it.

"How is it even possible?" Emma had snapped angrily at the brunette, after another excessive argument over the fact that ghost Killian was telling the truth, the whole truth and nothing but.

(Emma was very aware at how confusing that sounded.)

Plus, Lily didn't know for sure, she didn't know the feel of Killian's hand on her cheek, arms around her waist. She didn't know what it felt like to watch her true love die. But Lily had faith and hope, something Emma had been raised without.

"Emma, he came to you for a reason. You loved him right? Maybe this is his way of telling you the same, by telling you that Henry is alive, _my_ son is out there somewhere." She left out the part about him being her son too, but Emma couldn't blame her. Henry would be so much better off if he was Lily's in all possible ways.

"Maybe you're ready to give up hope but I'm not." She stated firmly. She recalled their arguments lasting years over the best decision to make, she made her opinion known, but it had always been Lily's decision, it was the agreement they had made all the way back then.

"She's right Emma. Henry is a strong boy, don't lose faith in him." Mal insisted.

"I will always have faith in Henry, but I can't lose him twice. I can't believe he's alive just to lose him again. How is any of this possible? _Killian is dead_." She insisted. "Maybe that's why I can't believe it? Did you ever think of that?" She snapped. "And why do you have faith in a man you've never even met?"

"True love is a powerful bond, one not so easily severed." Mal replied. "Perhaps since Killian's dying thoughts was to protect you and Henry, he's doing that now? I've also heard of a way dwellers in the Underworld. And I trust Killian because you trust him."

Emma just glared her way, wondering what right she had to talk about Killian's dying thoughts. She didn't know him, didn't know what made him smile and what made his temper spike, she didn't know what he was thinking when her father cut him down from behind, or when he jumped overboard of his own ship.

"Killian this, Killian that. Hope the fish are enjoying munching on that…pretty face of his." Aurora sneered weakly from blood loss. Emma's eyes drifted down towards her.

"Don't say his name! Do you hear me? Don't say a bloody word about him or I'll come over there and strangle you!" She snapped pulling on her chains. Mal rose to the defense, Lily watching carefully. Emma wasn't too sure if Lily would come to her defense if she did truly snap, it would probably only be to keep Emma from killing, not because of Aurora. "They can't protect you forever." She snapped. "You had a hand in killing him, so I suggest you keep your mouth _shut_ before I make you."

Mal tried to say something, but Emma's glare kept her quiet. "And you, after what you've just done, you don't get to say anything about Killian's last wishes. Did you know that I tried to sell my freedom for his life? You don't get to talk about his wishes, you never met him, didn't know him, and if she puts me under, and I never wake up." She swallowed. _"His death will mean nothing._ And that will be on _you."_

On one hand she understood the decision to sacrifice her for her child, but Emma had once considered Mal her mother, and to see her just toss her aside for a child who hated her? Sought to hurt her? It hurt.

Mal had been in possession of one of the most powerful curses in all the realms, the Sleeping Curse. Once put under, there was no reversing it, no curing it, only the most powerful magic could break it.

True Love's kiss.

"Sorry sweetie, Mommy loves me best." Aurora said with a grin and a flutter of her lashes. "But between you and me, I bet it's a whole lot of guilt wouldn't you say?"

Lily had told her, once Killian's spirit had left, that while she was gone, the Huntsman had stormed the room, threatening and hurting Lily to try and get it from Mal. It was only when he had stabbed Aurora that she finally gave in.

" _Not the daughter of her true love, but of the man she hated, the daughter who hated her, who's spent every waking day trying to hurt us."_

Lily glared at the bleeding woman, making her be silent.

"It'll be ok. Henry. You love Henry and he loves you. He's alive and I'll find him." She vowed.

"Lily, how could he be?" She asked, not looking at Mal, "I saw Henry go over the edge, I saw him _drown_." She insisted.

"You said Killian had him before he fell right? Maybe he did something? Maybe someone fished him out first?" She prodded. "When we get out of here, I'm going to look for him, find out what happened, for better for worse."

Emma nodded. "Me too." She whispered.

 _If I got out of here._

"If…she gets the curse to work before I get out…and you find Henry…" She closed her eyes tightly, not wanting Lily to see the bit of hope in her eyes.

"Nothing would stop us." She promised. "I won't let you be all alone."

Emma smiled at Lily, wondering how being here in captivity had somehow smoothed out all their issues. Perhaps it was seeing Emma in such a defeated state, or even their need for a united front.

"I want you to take him and run. Don't come back for me." She admitted. "Keep him safe."

Lily looked like she wanted to say something but she was interrupted.

Footsteps, they could hear footsteps and voices outside the door.

"She's in here? She has to be in here." The first said.

"Calm down, she's in one of these towers, just be patient." The other said with annoyance, it was a female's voice. Emma found this unusual since Snow's guards were mainly male.

"We've been through three of these bloody towers." The first snapped back in annoyance.

Emma closed her eyes as they drew closer.

Rumor had it that the sleeping curse put one back in their worse memories for eternity, others said you'd be able to hear everything happening around you, another theory said that you were locked in a fiery room.

"Get back Emma." Lily ordered, pushing Emma as far as her chains would go. Lily may have magic, but she'd been enchanted with a charm that nullified it. Emma looked toward Mal, she, like most other fairies needed pixie dust to activate her magic.

In short if they wanted to take her, curse her, they were entirely helpless to fight them.

"If they're taking you it's through me!" Lilly said regardless, eyes sparking and face holding such fire that there were no other words to describe it other than dragon-like.

"Emma, I'm so sorry." Mal said. "If there was any other way-but Aurora is still my daughter, talk to your mother, make her see reason." She insisted.

Emma snorted. Said mother was probably sitting on her thrown feeling mighty pleased with herself, she'd be even happier if Emma came to her, _begging_ not to be cursed. What did she need a dagger for if she had Emma on her knees seeking mercy. No. Emma didn't do that.

For Killian? Yes.

For this? No.

She just looked to Aurora, the one who caused this mess. It was her fault that Lily and Mal were taken, her fault that she had to rescue them and it killed her son and her love.

It was her fault she met Killian.

It was only this fact that kept her alive at the moment, that and the chains.

" _Don't kill her."_ And perhaps Killian's aversion to her slaughtering people who bothered her, yes, that was an important factor as well.

 _Maybe a slow death is what she deserves._

The guards entered the room, leaving the door open, an amateur mistake.

"What do you want?" She snapped as Lily took a position in front of her. "If Mother wants to curse me, she better come down her and do it herself" The guards stood in the room hesitating, one was purposely keeping their hood down, the other was shrouded but was looking right at her, almost as if they were in a stupor.

"What the hell are you looking at?!" She growled, stepping past Lily, she could see his eyes a bit from under the hood, a burning blue color.

 _Eyes weren't meant to be that blue._

"Swan." The guard said in a single breath, surging forward and trying to kiss her, Emma reacted instantly, pushing him off with a punch to the jaw.

No one got to steal a kiss from the Dark One. He didn't get to call her that; he didn't get to have eyes that mirrored _his_.

"Don't you dare _touch_ me! I may not have magic, but that won't stop me from killing you _here_ and _now_." She sneered.

"Emma-" Lily tried, but she shrugged her off. She wanted to make sure he knew not to mess with her, to tell all his guard buddies, just in case any of them had any ideas.

" _Bloody hell Swan_. Really? In the face? I thought that was half the reason you kept me around." The guard said, clutching his jaw.

 _Swan. He called her Swan. Again._

"Who are you?" She snapped, ramming into him, arm against his neck as hard as she could, cutting off his air supply. "Who told you to call me that?" She snarled. Only Killian got to say it like that, so desperate and endearing. "They just cost you your life _slave_." She added.

The first guard rose to help but froze when Emma glared her way. It made Emma grin in delight.

 _The Dark Swan would deal with her later._ She decided. _After this one is dead._

The man tried to move her arm but her grip was like steal. He started making a gurgling sound, kind of like he was…laughing? She was trying to kill this guard, and he had the audacity to _laugh._

"I prefer Sailor, Swan. _Your sailor_ to be precise." The man choked with a smile. "I'd also prefer if you didn't suffocate me on dry land though, mighty embarrassing death for a pirate." He coughed.

 _Her sailor._

She moved her arm a fraction, just enough to pull back the hood and see the guard's face.

Perfect blue eyes, dark wild hair from the hood, a wide silly dopey smile, stubble that was a just long enough to melt her heart, a small scar on his cheek, she breathed in, smelling salt and leather, his leather. There was no mistaking it.

"Killian?" She gasped, dropping her hold, reaching for his face with a shaking hand. "Oh god you're-" She didn't get a chance to finish as he swept her off her feet, kissing her hungrily, over and over again, holding her like she was the most precious being he'd ever encountered. He probably would have twirled her if the chains had that much slack.

For a split second she thought it was another dream, but his kiss, she _knew_ how he kissed. She kissed him back, kissed him like she had dreamed she could, because she had thought he was gone.

"Swan. My Swan." He gasped. "My perfect beautiful Swan."

Her arms clutched his shoulders and his around her waist.

"Killian. Your alive, you survived." She breathed, nearly sobbing into his shoulder as the kiss broke, her knees buckling only held up by Killian. She could feel his presence; smell the salt that was forever on his skin. He was here, he was safe, and he was healthy.

"I did love, I didn't want to leave you. Henry did as well. I promise. Everything is going to be alright." He whispered back in a desperate voice, desperate to tell her as much as possible as quickly as possible.

"Henry? He's ok?" She looked up, his blue eyes shown with utter certainty. "Is he here?"

Killian shook his head. "He's ill, but I left him with people we can trust." She narrowed her eyes, now hearing a tinge of _un_ certainty, but he glanced quickly to the other guard. He obviously didn't want her to ask. Emma hadn't forgotten the fact that they weren't alone.

Killian put her down, unlocking her chains as he spoke. Emma eyed the other guard suspiciously, she didn't seem surprised that he was setting her free, but was obviously not trusting of her.

"Swan, this is Gina, a new…acquaintance of mine, she saved Henry's life and helped me get here." He said carefully, the other guard flinched as the first chain dropped.

"Are you sure that's wise?" This Gina person asked, eyeing her wrists where the chains bounded her. She could hear the fear in her voice.

Emma turned glaring wickedly, preying on it instinctively. Despite the scene they'd just made, she didn't want to be seen as soft, or weak.

"Sorry sweetheart." She sneered. "The demon's coming out of her cage." She said with a mad giggle. "Don't worry, I don't bite." She glanced at Killian. "Well, unless you like that _Sailor._ " Killian scoffed, ears turning pink in embarrassment over her crude innuendo. She smirked. It was like things were back to normal.

The guard took a hesitant step back.

"Emma." Lily groaned, turning towards the guard. "Sorry, she's just messing around, we've been going a little stir crazy in here." She said, holding out her hand. "I'm Lily." Lily turned towards Killian, looking him up and down. "I was told you were dead, Captain Jones."

Killian chuckled. "Takes more than a disgruntled father to put me down. Good to see you in the flesh milady." He joked, returning to Emma, and undoing the second chain. "Normally I'd introduce myself properly to a lady, but I believe the sooner we get these off the better eh?" She smiled, feeling her magic turn in her, come to the surface briefly before flickering out. It took a little while before her dampened magic would return her to full strength.

"Lily, help me with Aurora." Mal asked, the first time she had spoken since Killian and Gina had arrived. Killian went to assist, but Emma grabbed his arm, holding him firm.

"I'm not letting you out of my sight Killian." She whispered softly, touching his bruised jaw and the beginning of a purple mark on his throat. He flinched slightly at the sensitive spot. She wanted to heal it, but didn't have enough magic for it…yet.

"Aye love, I'd despair if you did." He said, placing his hand over hers. "It'll heal when it heals Swan. I assure you, I'm fine." He said. "You have one hell of a right hook though love." She didn't miss how he fingered her pendant briefly.

He looked over at Gina, addressing her with a friendly voice. "So? The Dark One here hasn't killed you, go and get your prisoner." He insisted, sounding slightly tense. "Oh, and if you see a young girl, around fourteen possibly with a hurt leg, goes by the name Violet, would you let me know?" The woman nodded.

The guard pulled down her shroud warily, eyes stern but obviously terrified, she was looking toward Emma, as if waiting for Emma to recognize her. But she honestly didn't. She was probably one of the many escapees she'd seen fleeing her destruction over the years.

"Emma, she's under the impression that you'd kill her on sight, she believes all those nasty rumors, would you mind setting her at ease?" He prodded.

She shrugged. "He doesn't like me killing people; a girl's got to make sacrifices to make her guy happy." She caught his grin as she called him 'her guy'.

"Thank you. I'll be back soon; they probably won't know you're free for a while." The woman replied before readjusting her hood and disappearing out the door.

"Mighty possessive today Swan." He whispered into her ear, making her try not to smirk. "I quite like it." He purred, kissing her cheek gently. Hand back around her waist, as if he couldn't get enough of those gentle touches. She wouldn't argue, she wanted nothing more than to curl up against him and never leave his side.

"Oh God, I think there sweetness is going to kill me." Aurora moaned. They ignored her.

Emma turned to him, placing a hand over his chest, where she had seen the blade go through him, he didn't even flinch, he just smiled softly, knowing what she was thinking.

Now that she had him close, what happened, even if he had survived it, he should be writhing in agony for weeks, maybe months from such a wound, not here, on his feet playing the dashing hero to the captured princess. He pulled his shirt up for her, revealing the angry red scar, but it was healing, she could feel it, healing by unnatural means.

"Only hurts when you put-" He hissed as she pressed against it. "When you do that." He bit out as she retracted her hand. "You have questions, I know, I'll tell you everything; just give me a moment first alright?" He asked. "Let me see to your friend over there." He said gesturing to Aurora, "and then once we're back at camp, I'll tell you everything ok?" He said, squeezing her hand.

"She's not worth it." Emma snarled.

"Swan, you know I don't share that opinion" He insisted, raising her hand to his lips kissing it before releasing his hold.

Emma hesitated before nodding, crossing her arms. He went to Mal's side, kneeling besides Aurora and Mal, speaking softly to them. She watched, worrying, expecting him to just disappear or wake up.

"Emma? Are you alright?" Lily asked.

"He's alive." She breathed, tears flowing freely "I thought for sure he was dead, especially with all the ghost haunting and stuff."

Lily shrugged, "I have no explanation for it, just that you shouldn't question it, enjoy that fact that he made it and he saved Henry."

Emma nodded in agreement. He was her hero.

"Don't touch me peasant!" Aurora cried, pushing weakly against Killian. She could see the blood on his hands as he tried to sew up the wound. Emma glared at her, daring her to try that again, but her silent threat was unneeded.

"Bloody hell! Would you just sit still? None of you know the first thing about treating an injury without magic, so will you let the only mortal in the room make sure you won't bleed to death?" He snapped back, hands back sewing up the gaping hole in her side. "I've had less difficulty sewing up my own bloody self." He snapped. "Would you like to have a go at that? Take it from me, it's not bloody pleasant!" She heard a few more muttered exchanges between them but Aurora seemed to settle, watching the wall above Killian's head.

"No wonder you like him, he doesn't seem afraid of our wicked tempers, plus he's quite the looker, stormy blue eyes, devilishly handsome…" Lily snickered, Emma rolled her eyes.

"Please, don't inflate his ego." She said with an eye roll. "And he was afraid of me. But…he realized that I wasn't a monster, and then put me in my place when he thought I was out of line, he still does that, its rather infuriating." Emma admitted. "But it mellows me too, because I know that he'd only say something if it was really a problem. I trust his judgement."

Killian got back up, going to her side, wiping his hands on his pants, before pulling her close, her head rested against his shoulder.

"I believe a tale is in order love? About my miraculous survival and quick rescue?" He snickered, placing another kiss on her cheek.

"You call over a week a quick rescue?" Emma said back. Killian shrugged, wrapping his arms around her. He looked like he wanted to say something but he held back, he was just looking at her.

Emma saw Lily beaming.

"Do you want to know my story or not?" He said instead. She nodded, listening as how he had managed to keep a hold onto Henry when he was stabbed, just able to unbind Henry's hands in his final moments before dropping him, how after he realized what she intended to do, give up for him, he had to flee, had to keep her from trapping herself and jumped into the harbor, Henry tried to save him but couldn't.

"He's a very brave boy, you should be proud."

Lily nodded. "Thank you." Even though he had not been looking at her.

Emma was very shocked when she learned he'd been fished out and healed by a mermaid in her home. It alarmed her, wondering what deals he made to save his own life. As soon as they got out of here, she was going to make sure this fish knew exactly who they were messing with.

"Killian, mermaids are selfish creatures, she must have wanted something from you, you can't trust-" He shook his head.

"Usually I'd agree with you on that, but this one was…a friend of mine, I'll tell you more about that later, but take my word for it, the worse she did is upset me a bit with her choice in conversation, ok?"

Emma nodded, trusting him. They would have a lot to talk about later, and a lot of catching up to do that didn't involve talking.

When he told her about Henry's injury and infection, it wasn't just Emma who gasped, Lily was right there, listening in, trying not to intrude, but she couldn't help it now.

"What happened? Didn't you clean his injury? Get him to a healer?" she snapped impatiently.

"Yes, but I discovered the wound late, after the infection had already taken hold, I got him to help, I saw him before I left, the healer assured me he'd be well taken care of." He promised. It made Lily let out a sigh of relief, but Emma didn't react, he was lying through his teeth. Killian never lied, and hadn't been lying about Henry being alright, but it was obvious that he had left him with someone he didn't completely trust.

Emma didn't refute him, not wanting to get Lily into Mama-Dragon mode.

"Emma, how does you magic feel?" Mal asked, breaking the tension. Emma dug deep, bringing her magic to the surface. She saw Killian smile as the black sparkles danced across her skin.

"Enough to poof us out of the castle, that's for sure." As long as Killian helped carry her after, poofing out of the castle would take pretty much all of her strength. She'd need at least another hour before the rest of her magic bubbled to the surface.

"Alright, let's just wait for Gina to get back with her friend and we can-" He stopped short, stumbling on his feet a bit, gripping his head with a weakened look. Emma, alarmed, grabbed a hold of him to keep him steady.

"Killian?" She asked. He shook his head clear of whatever distraction had caused him to lose his balance, forcing a smile to his face.

"Sorry, little tired, love." He said straightening instantly. Emma took a second look at him, really look at him, the dark circles under his eyes and the beginning of a flush on his cheeks. He looked a little paler, positively drained, making her wonder how much he's slept and if he'd been so concerned with Henry that he'd forgotten to take care of himself.

"You sure?" She pressed, her hand over his cheek, feeling a bit of heat before he shrugged her off with a kiss on the hand.

"Very Swan, after this however, you may need to put me down for a nap." He said cheekily. Emma rolled her eyes.

"Please, you and I both know that sleeping would be the last thing on our minds." She replied with a smirk.

"Someone kill me now. I thought her crying was bad, but this? This is just torture!" Aurora said loudly, standing, leaning against Mal.

"Emma, Gina is taking too long, I'm getting worried." Killian admitted, "I want to go look for her and Violet." He admitted.

"Violet?" Lily asked, looking between the two.

"Henry's lass." He said simply. Lily's eyes shot wide between them, searching for an explanation. "No time, I'm sure the lad would _love_ to give you that explanation himself." He snickered, reaching for the door. It brought a smile to her face, they both knew that that was the last thing Henry wanted to tell Lily.

"Henry has a girlfriend?" Mal asked with a smile.

Oh, Henry was in for it now.

"Oh no he doesn't!" Lily seethed, "Not unless I get to meet her and her parents first." She snapped.

Emma stopped him, going to Lily, waving her hand, breaking the enchantment on her magic.

"Lily, get your family out of here, get to Henry. I'm going to stay and help Killian." She instructed, the longer they waited, trying to get their group together, the more likely they would get caught. As much as she hated Aurora, she needed to get some proper medical attention.

Lily looked surprised. "Emma-" she shook her head.

"Lily. Please, I'm trying to do the right thing, finally. Just…if she ends up getting me, tell him that…" She glanced at the scowling Aurora. "that _Auntie Emma_ loves him."

Lily nodded, bursting forward and wrapping her in a hug.

"I forgive you Emma, I have for a long time." She admitted in a whisper. "I just wanted you to know that."

Emma forced a smile. Lily didn't know, but she would never forgive herself for that day.

She grabbed Killian's hand and followed him down the hall. He lowered his hood and pressed against the wall, one hand on the hilt of his weapon, the other stayed nestled in her grip.

"Killian." She breathed once they were alone. "Wait let me just-" She held onto him, head on his chest listening to his heart beat before pulling away, tears building in her eyes. "Never do that to me again." She said poking him in the chest. "You don't get to die on me Killian Jones!"

He pulled another forced smile to his face.

"I'll keep that in mind, love." There was something on his mind, something still that he couldn't say to her, it made Emma wonder.

"You call me love. You call everyone else mate or lass, why me love?" He stiffens, rubbing behind the ear nervously.

"Emma, now's not the time for-" she places his hand on her wrist.

"I felt your spirit, right here telling me to keep fighting, do you know anything about that?"

"Please love lets-"

Her next words are a surprise to herself as well as him.

"Do you love me? I didn't want to pressure you and ask, but I think you do, I think your keeping something from me that keeps you from saying it, from making this real."

He nods. "I am." She sees something akin to fear and pain flashing across his face.

She tenses, ready to listen, ready to hear it.

"Emma, I can't tell you now, not here, when I tell you, there will be fall out, I suspect you will be so incredibly angry with me. Right now, I need you to trust me, trust that I'm trying to protect you until we are out of harm's way alright? Think we can do that?"

She considers it.

"Fine, but after this I want everything? You understand? All those secrets of yours that are driving me crazy alright?"

He smiles softly. "Anything for you Swan."

And they continue on wards. Together.

* * *

Well, the fated moment you've been waiting for has finally arrived, they're reunited at last. I hope it was worth the wait.

I know I loved writing this chapter and am happy with how it turned out.

andria: Yes, I could never REALLY hurt Henry, he's Henry! I always knew Regina was essential to where I want to take this. (Plus I love her character) And the reunion has finally arrived!

Anna: I'm glad my chapters brighten your day, that's always a pleasure to hear! I love Zelena and while she's difficult to write, she's also such a great character. I promise you I plan several evil characters to make appearances. Thank you for your reviews, I appreciate the support!

Now my rant about Sisters, I had seen it when I last posted a chapter, but I had seen the episode but I was streaming it online, and if you don't know what that's like, it basically has this ability to skip all the main and important scenes. So I didn't want to comment until I had experienced the episode in its full.

Now, Spoiler Alert!

Ok, I absolutely LOVED that episode, I was in near tears at the sight of the young sisters being torn apart. Makes me wonder what would have happened if she'd stuck around. I don't think Zelena would have been evil, that's for sure. Cora getting to move on was touching and such a perfect scene. James and David getting their brief meeting was amusing, and I expected that end, but Captain Charming rescuing Emma and Robin was great. Although why Robin couldn't take the bracelet off Emma is still a mystery.

(I don't have much respect for Robin, he needs to do something finally)


	16. Chapter 16

Chapter 16

A Charming Heart

He had her in his arms (after she tried to kill him of course). After days of staying awake to watch Henry, after days of walking with Gina in eerie quiet, he was actually here with her, holding her hand as they zipped through the castle.

Being here made him nervous and fearful for his life, but he was here with Swan so what did it matter? He freed her. Whatever happened next did not matter in the slightest.

Even when he felt the first _tug_ right there in front of her, when he felt his arm throb and burn, taking his breath away, like the very blood was catching fire beneath his skin. Even as he knew that the last of the sand was ticking away and whatever this poison did start its process, he held onto hope of this one last adventure, getting her out of here, one last piece of advice for her boy, one last kiss.

Maybe even getting a chance to apologize if he was lucky.

"This way Killian." She directs down one of the corridors. He doesn't question her, or how she knows exactly where the dungeon is. He has a feeling he already knows.

The dungeon is cold and damp and definitely not the place to keep an injured child such as Violet, he just hopes she is alright and that Gina's boy was in good health as well.

"Emma, do you see her?Gina or Violet?" He asked as Emma entered; saw her looking around the dozens of cells lining the walls.

"No. Killian, they're not here." She says sadly. "Do you think-"

Killian shakes his head. "Both of them would put up a bloody fight before dying, I'd expect to see at least a little bit of-"

Swan stops short staring at one of the cells. He looks at it, its completely empty, making him turn to Emma in question. "Love? What's wrong?"

She bites her lip, opening the door and kneeling besides something, cupping it in her hand like she had could a baby bird.

"Killian, do you remember why Henry met Violet?"

He thought back, nodding. "She was wearing some family jewel." He recalls vaguely, but he doesn't see the importance of that fact.

"Sea Pearls, they were her earrings." She explains showing him what sat carefully in her palm.

A Sea Pearl Earring.

"So she was here?" He questioned. "Can you track her from this?" Emma nods.

"I can track her body." She says warily, "but if she isn't here anymore…then odds are that there is nothing left to trace."

He sighs loudly. "Emma…Henry he-" He broke off as Emma gripped his arm in comfort. "I promised I'd held him find her." He admitted sadly. Killian wanted to keep that promise. He needed to.

"I know. You did everything you could, you wanted to bring her back to him, just as you came back to me." She reasons. "He'll understand that you tried."

Killian didn't want to try, he wanted to succeed. He wanted Violet to still be alive, because someone that brave shouldn't die so young. He felt his fists clench in anger before he released his tension.

"Alright Swan, lets…just find Gina and get out of here." He said, not wanting to think any more on the subject, of a young lost girl down here in the dungeon, hoping someone, anyone would come for her. Emma gripped his arm and they walked further into the dungeon on the search for the mysterious bandit.

They spend as much time as they dared looking through the prison halls.

"She's not here." Emma realized. "She left us." Emma hissed angrily.

Killian shook his head, he knew the woman, she had wanted to help him, she wouldn't just take him into this trap without intending to go along with them.

"Gina wouldn't. She saved Henry and I, why would she do that just to leave me here?"

Emma shrugged. "She knew I'd help you get out?" She suggested. Killian shook his head.

"Emma, they think your some animal that somehow listens to me through some trick or spell of some kind, or that I serve you for the very same reason." He insisted. "Her people think Gina is out here executing me to reveal such a secret. She was perfectly able to get me here by herself, why would she leave me if she already risked it all once?"

Her eyes narrowed. "Are these the same people you left my son with?" Emma demanded.

Killian paled. He had intended to leave that part out…

"Emma, Henry is perfectly safe with the healer, Gina's sister. I assure you, he is well taken care of." He promised, he believed it thoroughly, he always considered himself a good judge of character and some part of him knew that Gina was telling him the truth. "Zelena will take care of the lad."

Her grip on his hand tightened as she halted her pace drastically.

"Did you just say Zelena?" She asked in uproar. "As in _Bandit Regina's_ sister?!"

He gulped.

"Bandit Regina?" He asked, in all honesty he was afraid of the answer.

"She was the daughter of a noblewoman, and a dear friend to my mother growing up." She had said as much, even admitted to having knowing the Queen's lost love and causing his death. "And she was jealous of my mother's beauty and status so she sabotaged her engagement to her love, killed my grandparents and fled to avoid prosecution. My mother has wanted to kill her ever since, Killian, the reason 'Gina' didn't want me to know it was her is because if I recognized her, I would have killed her." She growled. "Because she wants to kill my father."

No. That made no sense at all.

"Emma-" Just then guards stormed into the room, Killian pulled down his hood, grabbing Emma's wrists before she could react. "Play along." He whispered. She gave a small nod, but still looked upset.

"What took you so long?" He snapped to the guards, trying to make his accent not so apparent. "The Dark One escapes and you took your sweet time trying to find her?"

The guards exchanged hesitant looks.

"We were unaware that she had escaped…" One says nervously. "How exactly did she get free?"

He rolls his eyes, but it's not like they can see. "How am I supposed to know." He said swiftly. "How did she escape the last time? Go, I'll take her back to her cell." He said tugging her along, trying not to be rough, but knowing he had to sell the act.

"No, the Queen will want to speak to her, find out how she got away, let me go get her shackles" Killian shook his head.

"Don't bother, she has no magic." He confirmed for them.

"How do you know?" One asked. This time Emma rolled her eyes.

"Do you think any of you would still be alive if I had my power? Do you think I wouldn't crush your heart and watch the castle burn?" She sneered, releasing a manic laugh. "Burn baby burn." She half snarled half sang as Killian pulled her away, following the guards as Emma laughter rang down around them.

Killian knew she was joking, but it didn't help that her mad laugh sounded a bit too real for his liking.

When he dragged Emma into the throne room, he was bewildered by the grand way it was decorated, every inch was either red satin or brilliant brass. When he imagined the Evil Queen's lair, he imagined blacks and purples.

"Emma. You escaped." The Queen realized with a bored look.

She grinned. "Yup." She replied popping the 'p'. She tried to pull away from him, but he held her firm, knowing quite well that if Emma wanted him to release her, she'd be released without his say so about it.

"And how exactly did you manage that?" She snapped coming closer. Emma just snarled.

"Chewed out one of your guards, fashioned his bone for a key." She said sarcastically. "How do you think I got out? _With magic."_

It made the Queen flinch. "Those chains are dark magic proof." She replied. "They keep it down for hours after your release, tell the truth. Who let you out?"

Killian kept his expression neutral, not that it mattered, the Queen barely spared him a glance, as it turns out, she sees her guards as inanimate objects rather than actual people.

"I told you, my magic. I just never said the dark kind. Tell me mother, are you surprised by that? What else have you been lying to me about?" She snarled. " _Are you even my real mother?"_

The level of anger and hurt she exhibited was beyond anything Killian's ever heard from her. He wanted nothing more than to pull her in his arms until she calmed down, until she felt better, used him in whatever way would lessen her obvious pain. The only thing he could do at the moment is run small circles on her arm with his thumb.

The Queen's cruel expression dropped at her accusation.

"Of course I am." She said in a voice too pitiful to have possible come from such a creature. "I'm your mother Emma. Please know that everything I do is for you, my darling."

Emma snaps.

She tears her wrists away from Killian, making him tumble back as Emma, glowing in dark magic races at her mother. The woman pulls her own magic, a wicked fireball in her hands, to combat Emma, but no one can truly spar with her and survive. The fire is snuffed out by a bolt of dark energy.

"Don't lie to me." She seethes. "Is Neal him? Is he really Leo? My brother that you said was dead? That you _said_ you killed because he was _useless_?"

The Queen roars back with a blast of magic, magic Emma combats with a flick of the wrist. It's obvious that the elder woman isn't going to win with her dark magic, so it's no surprise that she uses her words instead.

"Is that him? Your love?" She snarls. "Seems pretty alive to me."

Emma grins. "That he is, don't look at him, you don't get to know what I'm going to do with my life after you're dead!"

The Queen just snickers. "Does he know? Does he know how your last relationship ended? Your hand with his heart, squeezing and squeezing until there was no life, only dust left?" She taunts.

He can't help but flinch, practically feeling his heart constrict with her words.

 _Graham._

"It wasn't like that!" She snaps, looking back at him. "It wasn't like that." She repeats in a gentle voice aimed at him. "Don't listen to her."

Killian recalled all the times Emma had threatened to rip his heart out on the ship, to use him. He wondered if this poor chap had been what she was referring to. "Killian?" Emma asks. "You believe me right?"

But he also remembers Emma describing how much she detested controlling someone with their heart.

"My last relationship ended with my love stabbing herself right through the heart." He admits with a shrug.

(since shaking uncontrollably at the memory didn't seem like a smart option at the moment)

"Who am I to judge?" The Queen sees him as a low life pirate, but Emma, his beautiful Swan, is grinning ear to ear, hearing the words he left unspoken.

 _Of course I believe you love._

Emerald eyes glowing with sad understanding.

 _I'm so sorry Killian._

Gripping the Queen by the throat, Emma tries to squeeze the life out of her, hearing her cough in pain.

"Get away from her!" The Huntsman yells barreling into the room. Killian is quick to react, blocking him with his body, drawing his sword in an instant.

"Sorry mate, let the woman talk." He says. "I believe I owe you a sword in the back ey?" Not that Killian would ever have the stomach for that.

"I can't answer you Emma, please believe me." The Queen begs. "I'm your mother. He is your father. We love you Emma, don't-"

Killian blocks an angry motion by the guard, once, twice, knowing very well that he may not be able to beat him here, but is sure as hell going to stall him.

"He doesn't love me, he doesn't love you." Emma snaps, dropping her grip, tossing Snow across the room like one would a discarded toy. "He can't love anyone, not after what you did." He can hear her walking, but he can't see what she's doing, not with his opponent lunging with fiercer and fiercer motions, they seem almost…angry, desperate motions, but that wasn't possible for the heartless...right?.

"But I'm not like you. I'm trying to change." She continues.

"No! Emma, don't!" She cries out. The Queen throws a fireball aimed right for him, he can see it in the corner of his eye, but a dark shield comes up, dispersing it, but blowing the Huntsman and him off their feet, his ears are ringing.

It was the Queen's last ditch effort at stopping…whatever Emma plans on doing.

"Swan? What are you doing?" He calls over his shoulder as he rises slowly, too slowly as the man breaks through his defenses, nicking him on the hip as Killian returns his concentration to the fight. "Don't do anything you'll regret love." He warns.

"I'm not." She assures him. "Father stop."

As soon as she says the words, his opponent stops his assault dead in his tracks. "Put down your weapon." He does so, making Killian lower his own. He turns around, looking back at Emma, finally understanding what she was doing. In one arm she's cradling a large silver box with the words 'Charming' etched in black.

In her other hand was a red pulsating heart.

"Father, come here." She orders, eyes not on the heart but on the man, her father's eyes. No ounce of emotion laid in their depths. "I tried to take this heart when I was little, do you remember that?" Her voice is small and gentle, but he can see the warmth of love in them. Regardless of the cruelty, it is obvious in this moment just how much Emma loves her father.

"Yes." Something flashes in the man's eyes.

But perhaps it was never his cruelty that he'd witnessed, just the result of a controlled heart.

"I'm sorry I couldn't save you then, but now I can." She insists, thrusting the object back where it belongs. The man gasps, recoiling a few steps, hand over his chest as his breathing turns ragged for a moment.

"Daddy?" Emma asks.

The man looks back at her, and from where Killian can see, emotion rushes back to him in one single moment, his scowl disappears replaced with a smile.

"Emma, my darling princess." He says pulling her into a hug, he can see Emma shaking in emotion, murmuring soft things into her ear.

It's a touching scene. Killian knows, in this moment, that his Swan will be ok, that she will have her friends, her son, her father to lean on when his time inevitably comes.

"I'm so sorry Emma." The man says sounding entirely broken in this instance. "I'm so so sorry." Emma shakes her head, tears now flowing down her cheeks.

"Its ok, she made you do those things, we'll get through it." She promises.

"Not for that." The man says, shaking his head. His hands move to where Killian can't see. "I'm apologizing…for this."

Emma's expression turns from confusion to anger, to pain.

"SWAN!"

Because in that second, the bloody Huntsman had drew his knife and stabbed Emma right through the heart, before pulling back with an agonizingly familiar sound. She gasped in pain.

Killian doesn't waste a moment, racing towards her as she stumbles forward, hands drenched in blood as she touches the wound and then reaches for her father. The man backs away, letting Emma stumble before Killian gets to her lowering to the ground slowly. Her mouth is open is shock but no words come out.

"Swan, come on, you're the bloody Dark One. I'll just get us out of here, you heal it alright?" He begs. Because she's still conscious, that means she's still alive.

But there was so much blood.

 _"Milah, Milah, oh Milah, why?" He gasped, "Why?" He was trying to stop the bleeding, but there was just so much._

 _"I'm free Killian, finally finally free." She murmured. "Thank you Killian."_

 _He shook his head, his tear mixing in with her blood, oh her blood._

 _"Please Milah, don't leave me." He begged. "Why does everyone keep leaving me?"_

 _She smiled weakly. "I'm sorry. I love you Killian, truly."_

 _And then she died._

"Daddy." Swan moans in deep agony, physical and emotional before her eyes close. Killian presses his hand to the wound, concentrating hard, turning his head towards the man in question. He's just staring at her.

"What the hell? You just stabbed your own daughter!" He snarled. He would stop the bleeding this time, Emma Swan would live, that was one thing he was damn sure of!

The man shook his head. "This is family business." He stated curtly, moving forward, trying to get close to her, trying to touch her.

"Get away from her!" He shouts. "You don't deserve her! None of you do!" He snarled.

"Charming! Get her back to her room." The Queen orders, she's staring at him as he clutches tightly to Emma, trying to stop the bleeding. Charming's hands are on his shoulders trying to pull him away from her.

"No!" He snarls. "No!" Because these people can't take her, they can't have her back, they hurt her, torment her, and break her down until she feels like she's nothing. He'd die fighting before they get to do that again.

"Pirate!" The Queen says lowly. "Release my daughter before I get impatient." She warns.

Killian doesn't know what to do, they will take her whether he likes it or not. He wants to save her, but he feels nothing but helpless.

And then like a gift from god he sees it, a flicker. At first Killian thought it was just a trick of the light.

But it wasn't.

An arrow flew across the room, landing squarely in the Queen's shoulder. She gasped loudly, pulling it out with her gloved hand. The wound was already knitting itself back together again. He sees familiar purple feathers dangling from the end.

"Who did this?!" She snarled, before another one fired, hitting the huntsman directly in the leg. It made him fall to the ground in what looked like agony.

Killian felt a little bit of joy from seeing this man suffer. Killian picked up his head, looking in the direction of the shots.

"Gina?" He called, seeing her dark hair from the far off hallway, her bow in hand, another arrow already knocking into place.

"Regina!" Snow exclaimed, taking a slow step forward. "How dare you come here and-" She was cut off by a mystic purple glow consuming her whole body before dimming out. "What-Why can't I-"

Regina smirked. "Squid ink. Always useful to have a little insurance wouldn't you say?" She said sarcastically. "Come on Captain, get your Swan, we're getting the hell out of here."

Killian removed the hood and cape from his uniform, pressing and tying it firmly over the wound in Swan's chest, before pulling her up bridal style. He could feel her breathing against his neck, making him pull her closer. She needed help, her magic was still weak and the wound had yet to stop bleeding.

"Lead the way Bandit."

* * *

I am so sorry for the delay, My computer with this story on it broke and I was only able to extract the story from it yesterday. I am so glad it didn't crash as I'm terrible at backing up my files.

Updates may be quick for the next week as I try to catch up to where its supposed to be.

Now, This chapter is sort of a turning point, there will be loads of angst ahead. Its necessary for certain things to happen. Just bare with me for a bit.

Guest Reviews:

andria: Now that you mention it, I do remember the magic part of the cuff, which now makes a lot more sense. I liked Robin, and am sad he's gone, I wish they had done so much more with his character.

Anna: I'm glad you liked the fast reunion, I'm glad you think this story is 'bloody freaking awesome' I loved writing Aurora in this. She was so amusing. Evil characters are everywhere dearie. Never apologize for loving a good villain! As for Snowing, you'll see.

Guest: I'm glad you like how I put in Regina and my reunion, you may have to wait a bit for Henry's reunion. maybe a chapter or two more.

So this Author's note isn't longer than it has to be, I'm only ranting about Firebird.

So Spoiler alert.

(but its been more than 2 weeks, so I don't know if that's necessary.)

Firebird 5x20:

Ok, seeing how Emma learned all her tricks was adorable, like seriously, I wish Emm had spent more time with a mother/mentor figure and I loved Cleo, it was a trip to watch. They are officially True Love in a sort of unconventional way. That departure was heartbreaking, and I'm sad to see how Hades lied to Zelena. I really thought they would have been happy, but of course it's Once, no one can be happy.

Don't forget to review!

~Luna


	17. Chapter 17

Chapter 17 

Past, Present, Future

She remembered her face, pale with bleach blonde hair. She would smile at her, telling her stories all involving puppies.

"I love you Cruella!" She'd say, snuggling up in her nanny's fake fur coat. She'd take her on long walks and tell Emma what a good girl she was. With her mother never around, the first person Emma loved was her favorite nanny.

And Emma had told that to _her_ , to _her mother._

"I wish Cruella was my mommy and not you!" She had shrieked as Snow tried to fire Cruella, tried to take away the only person in the whole castle that made her feel safe, feel _happy._

That's when it happened, her body, moving on its own stilled, mouth snapping shut and this thing, this darkness swept through her. Emma knew magic, she'd been able to use it as long as she could remember, but this felt overwhelming. She wanted to scream, she wanted to cry, but she couldn't. The only thing that let anyone knew of her distress were tears dripping down her cheeks in utter silence.

"Emma, my love, do you see this dagger? The one with your name on it? When your misbehaving, I have to punish you baby." Snow had said. It was the first time she ever laid eyes on the weapon.

"Now kill her." She had ordered. The darkness took hold, moving her body, commanding her magic. She tried to fight it, wide eyed and terrified, a young little girl tried her hardest to save the only person who loved her.

But she wasn't strong enough, at only 5 years old; she pushed her nanny off the ledge. Her mother made her watch as the woman fell.

 _"Swan, come on darling, hold on for me, ok? Open your eyes for me? Bloody Hell, I didn't come back here to watch you die. I came back to save_ you _."_

After that, Emma was constantly haunted by the dagger, if she dared to step out of line, her mother would use it, still her moments controlling her like a puppet, making her apologize for whatever she had done.

Emma wasn't sure when, but Emma began to hate her mother, hate her like no child should ever hate her parent. She spent years like this, years of silent agony before Emma remembered that she still had one parent. She would watch him sometimes, standing at her mother's side, other times, sparring with a fellow guard.

(He always came out victorious, and Emma had to admit she silently cheered him on)

But he always had a smile on his face, relaxed even. He never spoke out, nor contradicted Snow, but he still looked rather content.

Then one day something miraculous happened. He looked back, he _saw_ her.

"Hey Emma, come here." He said gently. She did as told instantly, before realizing he hadn't used the dagger, it was her own choice. She went along anyway. "Would you like a better view of the sparring? I've seen you watching." He admitted.

Emma nodded. "Seems pretty cool." She said in a small voice. Her father's eyes brightened. He spent the next hour narrating the match, about footing and blocking and fooling your opponent.

"But remember Emma, you are a princess, you _never_ stab someone in the back. It's dishonorable." He said sternly. It was a lesson Emma took to heart.

" _Lily! Thank Heavens! Its Emma, she's hurt. She won't stop bleeding, why won't she stop bleeding?"_

 _"Her magic is weakened, it's going to take some time. We need somewhere safe to hide."_

 _"I know a place. It's where Henry is, this way."_

The next day, Emma found a wooden sword in her room, she grinned, practicing with it rather clumsily. She raced out to the garden, excited to practice with him, her father.

He seemed pretty happy about it too.

It isn't long after she started learning how to sword fight that her mother insists that she learn how to shoot a bow as well.

Those lessons aren't as fun, but she still enjoys learning something she actually wanted to learn.

It's among those lessons that Emma learned something else. She learned that her father is a prisoner just like she is. She's determined to fix it. She can imagine the two of them escaping her mother's clutches, just the two of them.

They can be happy.

" _You! Why did you bring more strangers here?"_

 _"I don't answer to you, I answer to Zelena."_

 _"Mom!"_

 _"Oh Henry!"_

She finds the heart box, glowing from its hiding spot, she sees it, and she holds it in her hand.

"What do you think you're doing?" She growls. The darkness comes, holding her in place. "Stealing from me? My own daughter? A punishment is needed Emma."

She can't help but replying out of anger.

"What? Are you going to make me kill Daddy too?" She snaps. It only causes her mother to get angrier.

"Yes."

Emma's helpless to watch as her mother summons her father, squeezing his heart as he crumbles to the ground, screaming in agony. Her mother doesn't crush it, she just watches her daughter's pain as she tortures her father, the only parent she loves.

"Huntsman. I want you to shut off those emotions? Do you hear me? You no longer love your daughter." She proclaims.

"No!" Emma screams. The light fades from her father's eyes and he barely looks at her. He no longer smiles, ever.

"Don't you understand? No one will ever love you." Her mother says patting her head. "I'm doing you a favor Emma. Love is weakness." Emma doesn't look at her, nor does she look at her father.

 _"What's the meaning of this?"_

 _"Zelena, it's the Dark One, she needs help. Help her, sister. Please, she means us no harm."_

 _"Fine. Bring her in here. Just him and her, Gina, set the others up in the guest tents."_

Emma is fifteen when she first runs away. Her mother is away and the guards are tasked to watch out for her, only problem is that they are absolutely terrified of her.

J _ust_ because in a fit of outrage, she crushed _a couple_ of their hearts, ugh. Such cowards.

She slips out of the tower, levitates down the side and the second her feet reach grass she bolts. She wants to run and run as far as possible, she wants to run until nothing can stop her and she's out of the dagger's grip.

She ends up in a village, stealing because she's hungry.

She runs into a girl her age stealing because she's bored.

They get caught of course, but while talking to the girl, Lilith, she realizes that the two have a lot in common.

"I'm an orphan." she tells Lilith's mother when she comes to get the brunette. The blonde woman smiles softly, she offers her hand. It makes Emma flinch, thinking she'll be struck or burned with magic. She isn't though.

"How would you like to come along home with us?" She asks. "My name is Maleficent."

For the first time, Emma knows what it's like to have a mother who doesn't hate you for breathing. She spends a blissful 2 weeks with Lilith and her parents, even her older sister.

(The older sister doesn't seem to like her.)

But then she feels it. The darkness stilling her body.

"Emma?" It's only Mal who sees the dark magic over her skin, controlling her.

Everyone else just sees the dread and fear on the girl's face. They watch her force a smile.

"You've all been so kind to me." She whispers in a broken voice. "I have to go now."

Lilith surges forward, gripping Emma by the shoulders. "Emma! No, don't go. You promised best friends forever!" She wails.

Emma keeps her smile.

"I'm sorry."

And then she returns to her mother's side.

 _"Mom. Its me, Mom says that you've been through a lot and need your rest…I want you to get your rest really, Killian hasn't left your side, he's actually asleep right now, right there on your shoulder…hehe. Anyway. Please mom, wake up. I promise, I won't be so mischievous, I won't steal as much. I just…I just want you to wake up."_

When she turns 18 she feels it, magic surging in a way she had not expected. It no longer feels like darkness controlling her magic. Emma realizes in that moment, that the darkness _is_ her magic.

"Emma darling-"

She feels the dagger's push to obey, but Emma isn't that silly 5 year old anymore. She puts everything she has into it. She pulls at the dagger, not fighting it, willing it to return to her. It was a part of her and now she had to _embrace_ it.

"No!" She roars. " _Give me my dagger."_ Emma had never felt at peace, and suddenly she knows why. The dagger is her other half, she needs it. She needs to stop resisting it and let it come to her.

It flies from her mother's grasp directly into her own. The darkness curdles in her heart in delight. Her body is glowing with such darkness, a darkness she no longer pushes away, but falls into with open arms.

She looks to her parents, and flees. She runs because now she's free.

 _You don't know me, but my name is Zelena. I've been taking care of you and your friend's son Henry. They say you're repelling their magical help. I'm no wizard, but they're not the only one your repelling." She snickers. "That pirate of yours, very loyal and honorable, you hooked yourself a keeper that one, looks at you like you are the moon and the stars. What I wouldn't give for that kind of devotion, blind loyalty." She pauses, snickering "Wake up soon because if you don't and I have my way, you might find yourself with one less person in your corner."_

She meets him in the woods five years later. He's a loner, talking to the wolves. She smiles seductively. Men only want one thing, and for once, her interests are aligned.

"Hey, what's your name?" She purrs approaching him.

He draws his weapon instead.

She bats her hands, throwing them aside. "Play with your toys later, right now I'm willing to offer you something else to play with."

He blinks at her in confusion, doesn't speak.

"Hello? Earth to hunter? I want to have sex with you. You know? Sleep together? Scratch the mutual itch?" She says with her arms crossed.

The man looks between the wolf and her for a moment.

"Ugg!" she yells in frustration, collapsing back into the grass. "That's just great, first guy that seems a little bit interesting and a whole lot of hot is a mute forest guy who's never seen a woman before." She curses to the sky.

"Who says I've never seen a woman before?" He asks in a gruff voice.

Her eyes snap back to him. "I've just never been offered sex so openly before, you really through me." He admits shyly.

Emma smiles at the flush in his cheeks.

 _"Emma love, it's been three days and I…You have to be strong ok? For your boy, ok? For…whatever you find when you awaken…I hope you know that I tried my best to protect you…to protect your heart…"_

Then the Queen finds them, sharing his camp. She's yelling in outrage. Emma can see what she tries to do, the way she gazes down the hunter and Emma can only think one thing.

"No! You will not destroy him too."

So she does it herself. She takes his heart before her mother can put her claws into it, before she can crush it and mold it in whatever form she desires. Her mother was not going to destroy this innocent man too. It's only when her mother is gone that she looks at him, the startled and frightened face. He wants to run, wants to run so badly, but can't.

"I'm sorry, I'm trying to protect you. I will protect you."

He doesn't respond.

"What's your name?" She decides to ask, it's not fair to search through his heart for the answer, she'd prefer if he did it himself.

"The village calls me Graham."

" _Hey Em, It's Lily, I made Killian take a walk, he's been here at your side nonstop. You picked a good one Emma, a really good one, but I'm worried, he isn't well, he's been driving himself sick in trying to get you to wake up. But I'm taking care of him, for you, I don't care if I have to pit him under a sleeping curse to make him rest, but when you wake up, your doting pirate_ will _be here. Just…wake up alright?"_

Her mother doesn't destroy him.

Instead her mother lets her do it herself.

At first she just asks for a favor, to check in on Henry, to spend time with him. Sometimes she asks him to have dinner with her, to kiss her.

She never goes farther than that however.

Its months before she realizes that her asking with his heart is no better than commanding it.

So the next time, she asks for real, with his heart in his own hand.

"Do you like me? Do you really want to help me? Spend time with me and Henry?"

He's honest. "At first, no. I didn't. But now, now I do. I like you, I like Henry." He admits. It eases her guilt a little.

That is until her mother finds the curse.

It hits Graham right in the chest, making him fall and the heart in her hand jolts and moves against her. She tries to grip it, but the slimy thing has a mind of its own and tries to escape. Emma knows this curse, it'll drive the heart right into her hand, no amount of her power can keep the heart from going to Snow's outstretched hand.

"Let it go. Let me have your toy." Her mother sneers. "There is nothing you can do."

She can barely keep a hold on it. She's going to lose him. Her mother is going to take everything from him. It leaves her with only two choices and from the look on Graham's face, he knows it.

"I don't want to be a heartless anymore." He begs. "Do it. Set me free."

So she grabs the heart before it can slip away. She hears him cry out in pain, gripping his chest as tears flow from her eyes. "Thank you Emma. I got to see what it was like…not to be alone."

She has to do it quick, the quicker she does it, the less pain he'll feel. The less time she'll have to actually realize what she's doing.

The heart crumbles in her grasp, not like ash as others had done, but into diamond rubble.

Graham howls in pain.

"I love you." She whispers as the light fades, as Graham dies. He never even hears her.

At least her mother has enough decency to disappear as Emma cries over her dead hunter and Henry scurries out from the bushes, sobbing on the Hunter's chest.

" _I'm sorry for what I'm about to do Swan. I never meant to, believe that and please…read what I wrote, don't burn it in anger. And please Swan, don't…don't kill anyone ok? I know what lies in your heart, I can see the darkness, but I can see the light even if you don't see it yourself. I beg of you Swan. Don't let my…what's about to happen…go to waste, even if you and I hate it._

Emma is no longer swimming in the past, no, she sees clearly now.

"Killian?" He's standing in front of her with an apologetic smile.

"Swan, my love." He begs. "I'm so sorry."

Sorry? She doesn't understand. She reaches for him, but he disappears like smoke between her fingers.

"Killian?!" She screams, wading through the darkness. She can feel it now, like a weight on her chest. Agony, utter agony.

" _Bloody hell…its happening now…I'm sorry Swan. I- I wish I had a chance to explain I lo-. Goodbye Emma Swan."_

But then he appears again, looking different. Similar leather jacket but it looks darker somehow, the decorations maybe. His ear is pierced hands covered in rings and he wears a black vest. But what really draws attention to is that his left hand is gone, replaced with a large silver hook, the same type of hook hanging around her neck as decoration.

She reaches towards it, feeling its presence no longer bringing her comfort, instead it burns her skin.

"Killian?" She asks, reaching towards him instead. "You can't be…"

He gives her a smug grin, more condescending then anything her Killian would ever give her as he bats her hand away. His eyes flash with something not him, not _human._

"Maybe I'm not your Killian." He sneers coming closer, getting in her face, resting the silver hook against her throat, the cold metal sending goosebumps down her spine.

"Not yet anyway." He adds ominously.

She gasps, hearing something metal clatter to the floor. She knows what it is, knows exactly what that familiar sound is. She can't look at it, she won't.

"You did this to me." He tells her, sliding the hook up, tucking a piece of hair behind her face, just as he always did. The gentle gesture conflicts with his vile words, words filled with hate and malice.

Killian has never spoken with such hate before; he's unable to do so. Her sailor's heart is rich with light and love.

"I'm like this, _because of you."_ He growls. He places his hand against her cheek. She flinches away at it, his skin was too cold. He laughs at her reaction and says his next words like a promise.

"I want to hurt you, like you hurt me."

Then Emma Swan falls into darkness.

* * *

I hope this chapter wasn't too confusing. I'll admit, its mostly filler and an opportunity to show scenes from Emma's past that I originally couldn't in my plan.

That being said, its also pretty important going forward for various reasons.

So Guest Reviews:

andria: It was a necessary event, and was so painful to write, especially after those sweet moments between David and Emma in Last Rights. I love Regina, I definitely wanted her to rescue them, it builds trust.

Anna: That scene with David stabbing Emma broke my heart to write, but it's a necessary evil. As for what the truth is behind the Charmings' actions, that won't be revealed for a while. (like 6 chapters...) And I love responding, it makes this all the more fun to post.

Now, I'm going to rant about Last Rites before the finale.

Spoiler alert (a week later...)

Ok, first of all, Robin Dying tore out my heart. Hades betrayed everyone and that made me sad. ZelenaxHades ship was so cute. But I am not one of those people who thought it was pointless. This was the point, shock and all the influx of emotions we're feeling. Isn't that why we love this show? The feels? I feel sorry for Outlaw Queen shippers, (which I am one) but I am confident that the writers aren't going to leave the sisters man-less for the rest of the show. Regina will find her happiness.

Now Arthur's death was pointless, I was screaming in glee when I saw it. I've been threatening Arthur since he first stole that freaking mushroom. But it really had no point, I mean Arthur was Zelena's ally 5a, and he looked like he wanted to be Hades ally too. Whatever, I'm ok with what they did with him. (As long as we never see him again). I'll ignore the Camelot plot holes.

CAPTAIN SWAN LIVES! I mean I knew Hook would come back, but that reunion was perfect. Absolutely perfect. This finale better not mess them up. They better be ending the season TOGETHER. Not with one under the influence of a curse, not with one in one realm and the other in another. I want the hiatus to have good Captain Swan happiness.

Ok, sorry, long rant.


	18. Chapter 18

Chapter 18

Out of Time

He follows Gina in a blur, her hand is in someone else's, but all Killian can really process is the wetness against his arm, the blood soaking through the shirt, the way her pale form trembles in his grasp. Even when she'd turn her skin a terrifying platinum color when she was on the attack, even when she was half drowned and shivering, she had never looked so pale.

He was bloody terrified.

"Killian. We're out of the castle." Gina says a hand on his arm, stilling him suddenly. He can feel the world spinning, but all he cares about is Swan. She seems to have seen his panic, having been leading him most of the way.

"Put her down; let's see if we can stop the bleeding, she'd already be dead if she was normal." She observes. It doesn't bring Killian comfort, no not at all.

"Mama G-gina? Who's t-hat?" Says a small voice, behind the woman, thumb in his own mouth, face filled with ash and clothes an absolute wreck. She places her hand on the boy's head, ruffling his brown hair sweetly, telling him that they were taking a break for now. That Killian was a friend.

"Told you you'd warm up to me." He mutters. It's an attempt to steel himself against his pain with a joke, but there's none of the merriment he usually has. She grips his shoulder.

"I know." She says gently as he removed the blood soaked cloth from Emma's chest, replacing it with a new one, with Gina's, he touches her cheek, hoping to see her coming around, able to see her eyes, hear her voice, teasing him for his worry. He wanted to watch her stitch the wound back together like it was nothing, it is nothing. She's the Dark One, she shouldn't look like this, pale with weakness, small and fragile, vulnerable. Doesn't she know that he breaks everything he touches? Doesn't she know that he needs her alive? Needs her to be ok or how else can he die in peace?

"Swan, come on darling, hold on for me, ok? Open your eyes for me? Bloody Hell, I didn't come back here to watch you die. I came back to save you." He whispers to her, begging her to wake up. She doesn't even stir.

Killian looks towards Gina, watching her embrace the boy; he must be around 6 years old.

"Your son?" He inquires, once they part. She looks over to him, and nods her head.

"Killian, meet Roland, Roland, Killian." She introduces. "He lost his father last year, separated when the Queen raided his village. I've been taking care of him, he's my son in all ways that matter. The Queen found out about him, about how happy he makes me and she took him as retribution." She explained, clutching the boy closer.

"Because you're really Bandit Regina." He said simply.

"Yes." Gina- _Regina_ says. "But it's not what you think; it's not what she's told you." She says pointing to Emma. "I did the _right_ thing, and have been paying for it ever since." She explained.

Killian nodded. "I figured as much. You don't strike me as a bad person, maybe cold and untrusting, and a bit sarcastic and-" She shot him a glare.

"and someone who fights for what they stand for, but not a murderer." He finished.

Regina flashed a smile and an eye roll.

She _is_ warming up to him!

They rest for only a moment or two longer before he pulls Emma back into his arms and Regina goes and holds Roland's hand as they continue onwards, towards, he assumes, her camp.

X

He sees them first. One with a stab wound in her side, the other two trying to support her, she hears curses and hateful words shared among two and the third trying to keep the peace.

"Lily! Thank Heavens!" He calls, seeing the brunette turn towards him. She drops the injured Aurora and goes to him. Her smile fades as she nears. His arm and side are covered in blood after all.

"Killian are-" Lily starts in a worried voice. He shakes his head.

"It's Emma, she's hurt. She won't stop bleeding, why won't she stop bleeding?" His voice cracking in desperation, his eyes wonder towards Mal, who puts down Aurora and goes to their side, He releases his grip on Emma a fraction, allowing to pair to get a look at her.

The elder fairy sighs.

"Her magic is weakened, it's going to take some time to recover. We need somewhere safe to hide." She tells him. It's nothing he hadn't known already. He knows she's healing, can feel the heat off the wound, the same heat he felt when Emma healed his wounds, but weaker.

She just needs time, time to recover. She'd wake up, and then Killian would tell her everything. She deserved the truth in all its gory details. She deserved the chance to shout, scream and hate him.

Regina steps forward, pulling the boy, Roland, into her arms.

"I know a place. It's where Henry is." She explains. Lily's eyes go wide in delight, in relief over seeing her son again. Killian looks down at Emma, imagining the boy's eyes as he sees the state of her. He promised to rescue Emma, but this wasn't what he had in mind. This wasn't what was supposed to happen. "This way." Regina leads. He can feel Lily's hand on his shoulder, offering what little support she can.

"She's strong. She'll make it."

He barely knows the lass, but appreciates it just the same.

XX

The second the group enters the camp, he can feel the tension, the eyes on him. He knows they recognize him and the woman in his arms. He clutches her closer, protectively. The man, Sydney, is the first to approach, him and what looks like his supporters; he draws his dagger pointing it square at him.

"You!" He sneers at Killian. He doesn't respond, keeping his expression neutral as he glances at Regina, tone demanding. "Why did you bring more strangers here?!" Whatever softness he'd seen around Regina around the boy, fades as she approaches him, defiant.

"I don't answer to you, I answer to Zelena." She snaps back. "These people need help and that's what I plan to give them" She says.

The men around them slowly increase in numbers. He can see Lily eye them nervously, her eyes flickering between them, counting.

It might just be a trick of the light, but her eyes seem to be glowing.

"And him? You know your orders; he doesn't look the least bit _compliant_." The man sneers. Killian wants to get up in his face, show him exactly how compliant he can be.

"Back off Syd." She snarls. He doesn't though, coming closer to him, he clutches Emma as the look from the man indicates that he wants to take his Swan.

"Maybe you aren't so useless Gina," He spits, he can see the anger and lust in the man as he takes in Emma's form. "You've brought us an injured Dark One, maybe we can make _her_ compliant." he's about to place Emma into Lily's awaiting arms, smash the man's face in. No one should talk to a woman like that. It was worse than bad form, it was downright disgusting. He knew Regina could take care of herself, but right now Emma shouldn't be leered at. The men approached them; he felt the man's hand brushing against her skin. He pulled her back.

"Touch her. I bloody dare you to try it mate!" He snarls. "I will kill you, to hell with good form, to hell with anything!"

The man barely flinches as they meet eye to eye. Killian knows his words are now seen as a challenge, but he doesn't care, he'd carry out his threat if needed. The men around him stalk closer, drawing weapons.

He sees something making Lily stand taller, hands clenched in fists. After counting her enemies, she smirks.

"Why don't you pick on someone your own size?" Lily challenges. The man turns his attention to her, she towers over the shorter man. "But since no one is that tiny, I guess I'll do." The man draws a weapon, but Lily makes no motion to do the same. Killian gets the feeling that the lass needs no weapon to carry out her threat.

He feels the tension is seconds away from igniting.

Thankfully just as it looked like they'd have to clash, a loud voice interrupts the standoff. He sees him, head of dark hair rushing through the camp, calling out one word.

"Mom!" The figure crashes into Lily as she pulls him in for a tender embrace, tension evaporating at the sight of her boy.

"Oh Henry!" She cries out, he can see she's obviously holding back tears. He can hear the soft words flowing from her into her son's neck. "I thought…they told me you were dead, my sweet little thief." She says after getting control. "But when Killian came and told us otherwise I couldn't help but worry-"

Henry shook his head, gazing up at him, meeting his gaze. "Killian took good care of me." He confirmed. Killian smiled warmly before feeling Emma shift in his grasp, moaning lowly. He gently moved her hair behind her ear, urging her to wake up, to see her boy.

"Come on Emma, wake up, its Henry, please Swan, for him." He whispers into her ear, making her moan again before going still.

"M-Emma?" Henry gasped; he must not have realized it was Emma he was holding, not until this moment. Killian doesn't dare lower her so he could see her, not until he knows no one will try to take her from him again. His eyes were still resting on the men.

"What's the meaning of this?" Someone says sharply. The men tense, backing away, bowing their heads, all except Syd. He holds her gaze. He sees Zelena approaching the group, a group which parts respectfully to allow her through.

"She's aligned with the Dark One." Sydney tells her, pointing towards Regina. "And has brought strangers into our camp, I told you that she cannot be trusted with-"

"Have you succeeded?" She asks Regina, completely ignoring the man. She smiles, pulling Roland out from behind her.

"He was very brave, waiting for me just as he promised." She said softly, kissing the boy on the head.

"Hi Auntie Lena!" The boy exclaims rushing towards her. The red head smiled, picking him up so he sits on her arm, other wrapped around his small form. She turns to Syd.

"I believe in taking any necessary risk to save a child don't you?" She challenges the man. "Especially my nephew." He ducks his head, nodding in agreement. "Are you ok Rolly?" She asked. "Any bo-bos?"

The boy shakes his head as he squirms to go back to his 'Mama Gina'. The brunette takes him happily, kissing the top of his head.

"Yes. My apologies." Sydney says before retreating.

She turns towards them, greeting them with a controlled smile. "Welcome to my camp." She says shaking Mal's hand first before looking toward Killian. He tenses, recalling how the last time he spoke to her; he may have threatened bodily harm.

"I take no offense Captain; you believed I was going to harm your son." She said casually. He flinched in surprise at the word, glancing at Henry who flashed him a wicked grin.

"I told you Zelena, he's not my _birth_ father." He reminds her with this knowing smirk.

"Ah yes, sorry, my mistake." She says. Killian's heart skips at the word birth. There is hidden meaning in their words, he can feel it. He feels touched.

Thankfully Regina interrupts, pointing toward the blonde woman in Killian's arms.

"Zelena, it's the Dark One, she needs help. Help her, sister. Please, she means us no harm." She tells her. He can see her green eyes taking in Emma's still form, before they lock in on him. She smiles.

"Fine. Bring her in here. Just him and her, Gina, set them up in the guest tents." She instructs beckoning him forward. He follows, praying that this woman, this healer can save his Swan's life.

XXX

He watches her carefully as she places polices of herbs over the wound. He holds her as the woman does so, refusing to let anyone else do it, even if Zelena offers him to wait outside.

He doesn't say that he doesn't trust the others, he doesn't need to. It's obvious that she doesn't trust them entirely either.

"This is my tent, but now that the bleeding has stopped, it wouldn't be wise to move her." Zelena explained. Killian didn't meet her gaze, eyes staring at the slow rise and fall of her chest, her paler than normal skin and the way it glimmered like diamond. Killian touched her hair, feeling it just as cold and stiff as the rest of her, hair no longer golden.

"I don't know anything about that." Zelena admitted, seeing his reaction. "Magic isn't my area of expertise, but I do know that she's fallen into a coma."

He turned towards her in surprise.

"C-Coma?" He repeated. One of the crew had slipped while drunk once when he was 10 and still with Liam, banged his head on a crate wrong, the Victor told them that the man had fallen into a coma, Liam had sailed directly to the man's home, brought him home to his family. He remembered how his family cared for him to this day. "How do we get her out? Is she ever going to wake up?" He demanded.

Zelena looked at him sadly. "I don't know." She said simply. "A coma is the body's way of healing from both physical and emotional trauma. I've heard talking helps." She said in an uncomfortable way to give him some comfort.

"Stay with her, I'll just grab some of my belongings and move in with Gina until The Dark One recovers or-"

He can't help but glare. "She _will_ recover." He insists.

Zelena doesn't look the least bit hopeful as she leaves. Killian turns towards Swan, hand on her cheek. "I know it, I just hope…" He pulls down his sleeve now that he was alone, flinching at the sight. Black veins burning beneath his skin, he knows it won't be long. Liam had dropped dead mere moments after he'd been scratched. "I just hope I will be here to see it."

XXXX

Killian stayed by her side, sleeping on the ground besides her, holding her hand. Lily came in that morning however, wanting to see how Emma was doing, she tried to help, putting her magic to the test, trying to heal her wound, but when her light faded and her smile disappeared, Killian knew that it hadn't helped. The woman kept a brave face, but couldn't help the tears forming.

"She's blocking my magic." Lily explained in despair.

"Why?" He replied. "You two are friends."

The woman shrugged. "Maybe she's afraid, doesn't know what's going on and is blocking everyone out with her walls, just physically this time." She observed, glance pointed at him. "But I know one thing for certain. She wouldn't want you wallowing in here by yourself. I'm going to get you something to eat alright?"

There may have been a question in her words, but there was none in her voice, in her gaze. He knew it for what it was an attempt to help, to not be completely helpless.

He nodded. "Alright." He didn't remember when he'd eaten last, and the option wasn't very appealing, he'd tried to stand earlier and a rush of nausea made him sink right back down.

Lily placed a plate in his hand, her own besides her as she plopping down beside him.

"So what's your story Jones?" Lily asked with a pointed gaze, eyes a deep brown color.

He shrugged. "I'm not all that interesting lass." He replied. "Sailor turned friend of the Dark One." Lily scoffed.

"You do remember I watched that kiss you planted on Emma right? I've seen and had my share of steamy kisses, but damn!" She teased. "That was hot!" Killian's cheeks flushed red.

"Henry hired me to free the Dark One from her tower." He explained. "I almost didn't do it but then…I saw her, saw Swan and realized that she wasn't a monster, not how the rumors made her out to be. We went on a wild adventure and well…one thing led to another." He explained quickly. "This journey to rescue you, your sister and your mum just confirmed everything." Lily nodded.

"Sounds like a fairytale." She mused.

He laughed darkly. "I don't believe in fairytales." He said curtly. "So, what's the deal with your injured sister?"

Lily laughed. "You two are perfect for each other." She said. "Amateur deflecting tactic, asking about Henry would probably be better, but I'll allow it. Aurora's my selfish half-sister; thanks for helping her by the way, my mom would have been a wreck if she'd died."

He nodded. "Henry made it seem you were quite close to your mother." He inquired carefully. "But you seem…not as close as I'd assume." Lily rolled her eyes.

"Let's say that I value loyalty a great deal. Emma, she broke it once, but has worked her ass off to try and fix it between us, and my mom. I love her, but she broke my trust yesterday, she made me a promise and she broke it, put Emma in danger to save Aurora." She hissed, eyes flashing green.

"Danger?" He repeated. "What-" He stopped. "You were threatening me, thought I was going to curse her." Killian recalled.

"My mother is the owner of a deadly sleeping curse. A derivative of the original, they would have put Emma under it." She explained. "I made her promise not to give it to them, she swore she wouldn't, but the second her _precious_ Aurora was threatened, she caved." She crossed her arms as she finished up her plate.

"Emma, could she be under it now?" He asked frantically? It would make sense, all they had to do would be to-

Lily shook her head. "I checked. This…this is all her." She admitted. "The curse has to be one's own choice, no force. Duress sure, but not…"

She looked down at his barely touched plate. Killian reacted forcing a spoonful down his throat, he flashed her a smirk. He got a scowl in return. He just wasn't feeling…hungry. At all. The very thought of it was repulsive.

Liam had once told him that a dying dog lost their appetite once death was near. It was sickening, counting down the days in silence. He wanted to tell someone, anyone, he wanted to release this control on his emotions, but couldn't.

It wouldn't do any good.

"So how's the lad?" Kilian asked, breaking Lily's suspicious scowl. A grin took its place, but not a bit of her suspicion wavered.

"You learn quick Jones." She replied. "He's with my mom; she's healing him up to full strength." She explained. Killian nodded gratefully. "He's been talking nonstop about you and Emma, how happy you make her and that you offered to teach him 'Good Form'?" She asked.

"You'd probably call them manners." Her eyes flickered. "Not that I'm implying that the boy doesn't have good manners, he's a charming boy, so smart and brave and-" She was laughing.

"Thank God. I've been trying to get him to stop stealing for years." She sighed "Good luck." She said breathlessly. Killian suppressed his grin, he had no intention of stopping that bit of behavior, just curtailing it. His role model growing up had been a pirate after all. "Wait, does this have anything to do with the girl you mentioned?" She exclaimed. "Violet?"

His expression fell. "Yes…but…Lily, she's…" _dead._ Lily nodded, understanding as she mirrored his expression.

"My poor boy. He's been through so much. I'll tell him."

Yes, he had, as had Emma. How was Killian going to tell him that he was breaking his promise? Leaving her? Dying? That he could never teach him-

"Jones?" He smiled, neither speaking nor explaining what he could only imagine having been a somber expression.

The two lapsed into an uneasy smile, eyes locked on Emma and her breathing. She deserved an explanation. They all did.

"Lily, may I ask you for a favor?"

The brunette smiled. "Of course."

XXXXX

They weren't easy to write, none of them, but he starts with Henry's, planning to work his way down. Lily gets him paper a large stack of it and he's determined to write his words and wishes to those important to him. He writes one letter to every person in his life that ever gave it meaning.

So he writes the first to Henry. It takes him all day, eyes going to Swan whenever he felt his willpower waning.

He apologizes for hurting him and his mother, telling him how very sorry he is, but doesn't ask for forgiveness, just understanding. Henry's letter is thick and is probably the longest, as he'd detailed everything he could about 'Good Form'. Because that was the one promise he'd made that he could maybe, actually keep.

(If the boy doesn't throw it into a fire in a blind rage)

"Killian?" Says a voice, interrupting him. He quickly conceals his writing.

"What is it Zelena?" He asks. She doesn't flinch at his harsh tone. She just smiles gently, approaching him with a smile.

"You've been here all day, I was wondering if you'd like anything? I'm about to send out a patrol to get some supplies." She says, her arms crossed before her eyes settle on the pen in his hand and she loosens.

"You're writing something?" She questions. Killian dropped the pen.

"It's nothing." He says dismissively. "No, I'm fine." He says crossly. She crosses her arms, waiting.

"You're just like Gina you know? Stubborn as a mule, come, away from there" She orders, hand on his shoulder, pulling him away from the desk, he finds her sudden friendliness rather odd. She had been nice the day before sure, but she seemed more upbeat now. "That bandage needs cleaning." She says, pointing to the gash in his hip where the Huntsman had gotten him, "and you need some ice on that jaw." She lists, touching the dark mark. "And when was the last time you've eaten anything?" She adds.

Killian shrugs, he had lunch with Lily yesterday, but it didn't matter, food wouldn't help what was ailing him, he could already feel the burning poison spreading to his hip, opposite to the other injury thankfully. He tries to dissuade the woman, but he's unable to, helpless as she pulls him away, hands nimbly running down his arm, removing the jacket and folding his shirt back.

"He got you pretty good didn't he?" She says softly. "It must have hurt _a lot._ " Kilian simply shrugged.

"I've had worse." He mumbled.

"Hmm." She says softly, retying a new bandage over the cut. "There." She says as she finishes.

"You're quite skilled." He inquires. "How did you learn?"

Zelena grins, plopping down, happy about his inquiry. "My mother." She explained. "When it seemed likely that I was going to be the next Queen, she wanted me to learn, to better the kingdom you know?" She says.

"Next Queen?" He asked.

"My father was supposed to be the next king, Leopold was dying, but then he met the miller's daughter, Ava, he fell for the young girl and married quickly." She explained before looking back at him.

"I've seen your handy work too you know, your stitch work with Aurora was flawless, nothing I've ever seen before; she would have died without you." She complimented, her hand lingering on his arm. "Not a skill a man often learns."

He chuckled. "Well a woman did teach me." He laughed. Milah had lectured him on his form before, making him practice until he had the technique down pat. _Don't want you to bleed out because of a missed stich._ She said.

"Your mother?" He frowns.

"Someone I was close to." He says instead.

"Where is she? I'd like to learn what other tricks she might have." Zelena says hopefully, green eyes bright. Killian sighs.

"She's dead." He says curtly.

"I'm sorry." Zelena says quickly, "I didn't know, sorry for bringing that up with you, I'll…" Her gaze lands on Swan. "I'll leave you with your friend."

Killian smiles gratefully. "Thank you for coming Zelena. I appreciate it."

XXXXXX

He writes one to Ursula and one to his mother.

He thanks Ursula for being a great little sister. He tells his mother where to shove her concern.

He hopes Ursula has a good life, marries her sailor and has the happily ever after she deserves, even remarking that he wishes the Jolly be left with Emma.

He hopes his mother regrets her every day. Hopes she knows the fate she's thrust upon him. Hopes she chokes on her guilt, she was as guilty as Liam.

Not forgiving her would never be high on his list of regrets. It wouldn't even be there at all.

Lily came in by then, a plate of food in her hand, thrust it on his lap with a glare of 'eat' on her face. It didn't seem to be up for debate. Killian wasn't feeling hungry so he just moved his food around, taking the occasional bite. Her mother came in afterwards, long blonde hair pinned in intricate braids, dressed in dark fabrics.

"How's Henry?" He asked casually. He had been keeping vigil for Swan so the boy didn't have to. Killian didn't want Henry here alone in the dark thinking about the possibilities.

"Playing with Gina's boy, Roland, at the moment." Lily replies. "He's worried about Emma, but keeping an eye on his new shadow has kept him busy." She chuckles. "It's you I'm worried about. Killian, you aren't _eating_." She insists. "I've seen the plates you leave behind." Killian stops.

"Lily-"

"You're pale, you're always swaying when you stand, the few times I've seen you stand." She demands, standing and urging him to do the same. Killian does, and Lily's not lying as he's had more and more dizzy spells. She grabs his shoulders to steady him. "I'm not your friend, you don't know me, or any of them, but Henry and Emma care about you, so it makes you family." She continues. "Let my mom check on you. She's good at healing with magic. Or maybe Zelena if you don't like magic."

"I'm fine." He says sharply. "Lily, if you really care, you'll drop it." He warns, glaring at Maleficent when she nears him. Lily pouts.

"Lily, I think you should check on your sister." He hears something delicate but stern in the older woman's voice.

Lily looks between them before she huffs and storms from the room muttering about knowing that she was being sent out of the room like a child.

He stands defensively, unsure what this woman was going to say to him, but it was obvious she had something on her mind.

"Sit." She orders. He does.

"Lily tells me you gave-" He starts but is interrupted.

"Dreamshade." She notes instantly, not hesitating or mincing her words.

He freezes.

"But not the normal variety; or you'd be dead by now." Killian doesn't reply, watching as she extends her hand to him. He sighs and give her his.

"How did you know?" He says in a whisper, looking back at his sleeping Swan. He wonders how much she could hear, how much she could understand.

"I spent some time in Neverland as a young fairy." She explains, shifting his sleeve upwards revealing his paling skin and spreading poison. "How far do they go?" Killian touches his hip, unable to say the words. "Do they hurt?"

Killian hesitates, knowing answering will make his voice break.

"If you want my help, I need your honesty." She says sternly.

"They burn." He says in a broken gap. "I'm dizzy, and the thought of eating makes me ill." He admits breathless. "Can you…?" She shakes her head sadly.

"Not without the plant that did this, every plant is different, placement on the island, environment, etc. What I want to know is how you were infected." Killian doesn't know why, but he finds himself spilling the story to this woman, this stranger, it's like a cascade of words that he can't stop, before long he's breathless, closing his eyes to get control, shaking uncontrollably, his arms wrapping around himself to get his emotions back in check. He can't help Emma if he's a broken wreck.

"I'm so sorry Killian." She says once he finishes. "I think you have two days, three max." She explains, flicking her hand, a purple vial appearing. "Drink it all, it should ease the pain significantly. I'll send Lily in with one for later." She explains.

"Are you going to tell her? Henry?" He asks quietly.

The woman shook her head. "This is your secret to tell, but I wish things were different. Thank you, thank you for taking care of my grandson, of Emma. I didn't do right by her, but I promise, I will make up for it." She vows.

The unspoken promise of taking care of her when he drops dead hangs in the air. Killian chugs the purple vial as she stands to leave.

They suddenly hear a high pitched scream, it makes Killian and Mal rush out towards their tent. It was Lily's scream.

"Aurora." She exclaims, pointing to the cut tent as she clutches her head. "She's gone! The witch hit me and ran!"

Killian groans. Another bloody problem.

XXXXXXX

The next letter goes to Liam. He writes it three times, crumbling the failed attempts immediately.

The first one showcases Killian's anger, his rage at what he had done. It ends up ripped in three places.

The second is him trying to lie and say he forgives the wanker. He wants Liam to have some sort of peace, be able to live the life he had stolen from his younger brother.

He wants his death to have some sort of meaning.

It just makes him angrier. It makes him angry that he didn't even have a choice in the matter. It makes him angry that his own brother was so sure that his life was worth less than his own. What happened to protecting him at the cost of his life? What happened to being the older brother and taking care of him, not throwing him to the wolves, dealing with all of this by himself?

He eventually settles somewhere in between, folding it up tucked under the other three in his jacket. The fifth and final letter is beyond hard, its damn near impossible.

What do you tell the woman you love when you know you're about to break their heart?

It had been three days and Emma was no closer to waking up. The wound was starting to heal at an unnatural pace, but she was still blissfully asleep.

"Emma love, it's been three days and I…You have to be strong ok? For your boy, ok? For…whatever you find when you awaken…I hope you know that I tried my best to protect you…to protect your heart…" He tells her that morning, feeling bloody awful. He hasn't had much of an appetite, he's had constant dizzy spells and all he wants to do is curl up and sleep every moment. Thankfully, the fairy's brew lessens the burning of his blood to a low ache; he feels it in both legs and left arm. But Killian knows he can't give up, not yet, he has to keep up appearances, make sure all effort is aimed at making sure she's alright.

Zelena starts to visit more often, sitting beside him, talking about anything that isn't Emma. He's appreciated the distraction her visits provide him, especially when she tries to convince him to go for a walk that day, to stretch his legs a little.

"Come on Killian. You look half dead you're so pale." She prods with a _joking_ chuckle. "Let's get you some sunlight."

Sunlight. Killian likes sunlight, and Henry had already looked like he wanted to spend some alone time with his mother. It just worked out he guessed.

"What's it like being the leader of this group of outlaws and thieves, when you were supposed to be a queen?" He asks as they walk in silence towards a nearby clearing, in perfect view of a lake. She smiles, hand reaching towards his arm, touch lingering a second.

"Different, I don't have to worry as much about what dress I wear or whose wife I insult." She snickers. "Or my reputation." She waggles her eyebrows suggestively.

He nods, it made sense.

"What's it like being a Captain?" She counters, taking a step closer to him. Killian shrugs.

"Hell if I know, I may have a ship, but no crew, never actually took her out after I reclaimed her." He admits. "I was going to but…we got interrupted." He wonders what would have happened if he hadn't been so foolish. If they had just rushed out of town…

"It seems we're both have some…wasted potential." She purrs.

He turns away from her, grasping at a tree as a wave of nausea hits him hard. His other hand goes to his side; he can practically feel the poison now, snaking up his side, racing towards his heart. He'd taken Mal's potion just minutes before, they'd helped significantly yesterday, Killian had actually been able to get some sleep, so he knows he shouldn't feel this spike of pain unless… He didn't have much time.

He smiles at Zelena, before saying he needs to get back to Emma.

"Fine." She replies evenly, leading him back to camp. His vision must be going because he would swear he was watching her pout. "Killian? What do you see in her anyway?"

It made him flinch.

"I met her when I was a different person, she made me see my potential, and challenged me to do what I wanted with my life, to stand up for myself." He explained vaguely. "To be the kind of man I wanted to be."

Zelena smiled. "Sounds nice." She replied. "I believe people are put in our life to get us ready for the next part of it." She explained.

He nodded. He'd suffer through everything he'd already been through to ensure he met Emma. She was everything to him. Zelena placed a hand on his arm as they walked back to camp. Just as they become apparent, he sees Lily watching him. Killian nods a greeting.

"Ah!" Zelena shrieks, losing her balance. Killian barely has time to think before she nearly falls backwards into him. He steadies her instantly, noticing Zelena smile in thanks, a hand lingering on his shoulder. "My knight in shining armor."

There are snickering and knowing looks exchanged between others around the camp when he helps Zelena back to her feet

"You ok lass?" She smiles and nods.

He barely thinks about it before he returns to Emma's tent, wishing to see her, to finish her letter and just be around her for as long as possible. He sees Henry speaking with her as he waits, gripping the tent, unsure how long he can keep his balance for. He'd barely been able to right Zelena, he could have easily toppled right along with her.

And unlike Zelena, he'd probably not be able to get back up.

He returns his gaze to the brunette. She's scowling at him.

"What?" He asks. "I was helping her!" He defended.

"You went for a walk with Zelena." She says crossly.

"I thought I'd stretch my legs for a bit." He replied, not quite understanding Lily's obvious frustration.

"She can't be trusted Killian." Lily insists. "I've been keeping my ear to the ground, listening to all the gossip. She's planning something. Today she started talking with Henry." She told him in a whisper.

"I don't see the harm in that lass, she did save him." He reminded her. "I thought you liked her?"

Lily shrugged. "I don't know anymore. She seems different somehow."

Killian shakes his head. "I was warry at her at first as well, but she means us no harm, she's been nothing but helpful, giving up her tent for Emma and me, making sure I don't waste away in there…If she's planning something, it has nothing to do with us." He replies.

Lily shakes her head, lowering her voice. "Do you know what this camp really is?" She whispers. "It's a _rebellion_ , Zelena is staging a coup. They believe Snow is not fit to rule and want to put Zelena on the thrown. Do you know what comes after a coup Killian?" She practically hissed.

He shook his head.

"You kill the Queen and her entire line." She snapped, returning her gaze to the Queen's injured daughter and innocent grandson. "I don't trust her. You should keep her at arm's length Killian; she looks at you too fondly for my liking."

Killian couldn't help but snicker. "I'll keep her away from Emma, just as I assume you are of Henry. As for how she looks at me, I believe you're greatly mistaken, even if she does fancy me as you say, my loyalties are to Emma. I would never betray her." He says firmly.

Lily is about to respond when Henry gets up and moves towards them, ducking out of the tent.

"All yours." He replies, taking steps back towards Lily and back to his family's tent, but Killian holds him back, taking in the boy's appearance, before pulling him into a hug. It catches Henry by surprise.

Killian can't help it, he knows what's about to happen, possibly today, maybe tomorrow, and he couldn't bear to have Henry's last words to him being so dismissive.

"Be good to your mother alright?" He asks, keeping from saying the words he wrote to the boy in his letter. "She's going to need you to get through this."

Henry obviously assumes he means the fact that her own farther tried to kill her. "She'll need you too Killian." He points out. Killian gives a small smile but says nothing.

Killian enters silently, sitting beside her, eyes trying to memorize her face, the way she looks so calm and at peace. He wonders what she's dreaming about. He hopes it's a good dream.

"I'm sorry for what I'm about to do Swan." He starts. "I never meant to, believe that and please…read what I wrote, don't burn it in anger." He could just imagine that; imagine her anger turning his carefully chosen words to ashes. He has to believe that she won't. That she'll read what he's written and understand, get some sort of closure from it.

"And please Swan, don't…don't kill anyone ok? I know what lies in your heart, I can see the darkness, but I can see the light even if you don't see it yourself."

Memories of seeing her in his dreams haunted him. She seemed so damaged and cruel. He knew beyond a shadow of a doubt that she would have carried out her threats had she been able to.

"I beg of you Swan. Don't let my…what's about to happen…go to waste, even if you and I hate it."

Because she'd find a way to Neverland, or perhaps Liam would find a way off of it? She'd find him and she'd want to kill him for this. Emma would see it as Liam killing him. In all honesty, Killian agreed over that fact, but he didn't want vengeance. He wanted more than anything for Emma to leave his brother be. He wanted Emma not to succumb to vengeance.

It was his dying wish.

He lies down beside her, pulling her into his arms…remembering that first kiss, first dance, and the last. It just wasn't fair. He wanted months of being with her, sailing the Jolly, or traveling from village to village, he wanted to spar with her, to gift her with beautiful thing after beautiful thing. He wanted to tell her he loved her.

Killian knew he fell asleep at some point, he knows because he woke up, a few hours later in utter agony.

He could feel it in his chest, making it harder and harder to breath. He wanted to stay here, die with her, but decided against it. With his luck, she'd wake up as he passed and fall right back into her coma. He pressed a kiss to her forehead, kind and gentle.

He stood up, body shaking, spots in his vision. He felt like he was going to be sick, he felt like he was on fire.

"Bloody hell…its happening now…"

All Killian could think was that he wasn't ready. He wanted to scream and rant and rave, because even through all his preparation all is thoughts about making peace with it, in truth he wasn't ready to die.

"I'm sorry Swan. I- I wish I had a chance to explain I lo-" He couldn't. Not like this. Not with his breathing ragged, barely keeping himself steady.

"Goodbye Emma Swan _."_

He wasn't sure how anyone was able to walk away from Emma, because right now, doing it himself hurt worse than his impending death.

Somehow Killian got himself out of the camp. Wobbling, darkness threatening his vision at every turn, but still he managed. Killian vaguely recalled being in similar situations, barely able to walk, running to find somewhere quiet to rest and heal, it brought on a feeling of nostalgia. Now he was doing the exact same thing for vastly different reasons.

"Killian?" Someone called. He had his forehead pressed against a tree, one arm wrapped around his waist, the other holding onto it, trying to keep himself upright for as long as possible. "Are you alright?"

He shook his head, feeling his back hit the ground as he groaned, he didn't even remember the fall. "I'm dying." He admitted.

His vision blurred until he vaguely heard someone shout his name, appearing over him, hand roaming.

"What happened?" the voice exclaimed before the hands settled on his arm, he felt his sleeve being pulled back. He screamed as it felt unbearable, thrashing in a blind attempt to ease the pain.

He suddenly wanted to die very much.

And then before he knew it, everything changed.

Color splashed over his vision and he flew to a sitting position gasping for air and shaking like a leaf, the burn through his body was receding quickly, surprising him. "What the devil-"

There was a chuckle. "You're welcome." He looked over, seeing Lily kneeling beside him watching him with amusement. "Poison Killian? Really? Is this why you've been so sick? No appetite? No sleep? You should have told me sooner!" She snapped. "Mom knew didn't she? That's what her potions are for, to cure you."

He sighed but shook his head. "There was nothing to be done; your mother was trying to ease the process." He admitted.

"Emma's sooo going to kill you." She teased. "She hates secrets, almost as much as lies, and there is no way she'd not be all hands on deck to find a way to fix you…if she knew"

He nodded. "Now that would be counterproductive." He replied. "What happened? What did you do?" He demanded.

"You weren't just poisoned, but cursed too." She pointed out. "By _really_ dark magic, its entangled with the poison. My light magic prevented you from dying you infuriating pirate." She smacked him in the back of the head. "How could you not have told her?" She snapped.

"I was going to. But then she was captured, and now she's…"

Lily rolled her eyes. "Please. I've listened to both Henry and Emma rave about you and how you saved her. You should have told her you were cursed, is that why you saved her? Why you've gotten so close to my son?" He shakes his head quickly.

"I only found out about it recently. It was…a lot to process." He admitted. "I realize that my own brother caused this in exchange for his own life. That at 30, I'd die. I couldn't tell her until I figured out what I wanted to do about it." He admitted. "And by then it was too late."

Or would have been.

"Your brother did this?" Lily asked, a strangely soft expression crossing her face. He nodded. "I know a little about siblings that betray your trust, mine tried to kill me when I was a baby, and when that didn't work, she tried to curse me." Lily admitted, sitting beside him.

"Aurora?" Killian asked, recalling her talk of loyalty. She nodded.

"She had been jealous of me all my life, and she just couldn't handle it. But I loved her; I loved her with all my heart. So I get how the betrayal had to have stung." Lily says.

He gives her a small smile. "Having her escape must not have helped, not knowing when she'll return." He added. She shakes her head.

"Mom's grieving for her like she died. I can't forgive her for all she's done. I can't, not after she's hurt my family so many times"

Killian chuckled. "Perhaps you shouldn't. But I have to try." He tells her, showing the stacks of paper in his jacket. He wanted to tell Swan all this, but he hadn't found the opportunity, he didn't realize how good it felt to tell someone until now, not just about the poison, but everything.

"I'm going to die before I have a chance to reunite with my brother; I wrote him this to give him some understanding of what I think of him, as well as an effort to forgive him." He explained. "But in all honesty, I don't forgive him, I'll never forgive him. He's ruined my entire life, had I not met Swan, I'd die all alone in an alley behind a bloody tavern. At least here, I won't die alone; I'll have Emma's love even if I don't deserve it."

"Killian…" She sighed. "There must be another way."

"I've spent 15 years trying to get back to Neverland, it's the only hope of a solution, I need Swan to help, she's traveled to different realms, I was going to tell her, and ask her, but then I met your boy, I realized that we wouldn't have enough time to save me and Henry's family. If I told her, she'd have to choose. How can I ask her to make that decision?" He asked.

Lily didn't reply.

"Besides it's _my_ decision. I only regret hurting them."

He tried to stand back up, but felt his body tilt in unsteadiness. Lily went and steadied him, but Killian still felt less then alright. With a sigh, he looked over to his arm, still seeing the black gash and the beginnings of the veins over his skin, not as far as they had been last time he checked, but prevalent. It made him gulp in realization. "How long has your magic given me?" He asked lightly.

 _Just a bit more time._

He hadn't let hope for a future invade his thoughts, and for once his lack of optimism was helpful. He wasn't cured. He still had no future.

Lily shook her head sadly. "My magic comes from True Love but even it has its limits, I give it a few weeks at least, a month at the most. Who knows what can happen in a month."

Lily stood, taking her leave but paused, turning and meeting his confused gaze.

"Oh and Killian? Happy Birthday."

* * *

This is a really long chapter, like the longtset chapter I've ever written. Hopefully it's not too confusing.

This is the problem when write in switching perspectives, I can't break a chapter in half, but I'm sure no one minds extra long chapters. Sorry, the next ones will be shorter.

Fun fact, I planned to post that last chapter before the finale, I had the author's note written around six, but literally forgot to post. Oh well.

I've officially caught up with my week or two of accidental delay. I'll be back to my uploading once a week. I had news, but I'll wait for next chapter due to the sheer length of this one.

Guest reviews:

andria: I will admit, I did include the Darkness part due to the fact that Swan Song had recently been aired while I was writing. It was another dream sequence because I felt like having a little bit of fun. But it does serve a purpose down the line. All will be revealed. I just don't consider it to be soon.

Anna:I'm glad you were in a happy mood while reading. Chapters like this were supposed to be confusing and hopefully a bit enlightening too. I love foreshadowing, its one of my favorite part about writing something like this, all the breadcrumbs I leave that mean something. It also something I love about Once. I'm obsessed with this story as well and I'm glad I'm not the only one, obsession with stories is a lot of fun. Something definitely happened while Emma slept as you read...just not as dire as you expected. I love dream sequences, especially to create speculation. Long reviews are always welcome, I try to answer as much as I can.

I'll rant and rave about the finale next chapter because this chapter does not need anymore content.

~Luna


	19. Chapter 19

Disclaimer: I obviously don't own anything...

Also, minor implications of stuff, I don't think it really needs a warning but it never hurts.

Chapter 19

You can take the Dark out of the Swan

She wakes up in frenzy, gasping crying pleading. Emma remembers her dreams, every horrifying moment of them. But the worst part is the voice, the cold hatred she heard in such a usual loving voice.

 _"I want to hurt you like you hurt me."_

Emma doesn't know if the image was a fevered dream or an ominous premonition, and she prayed she never found out. It just keeps echoing in her head and makes her tremble in fear. She slowly tries to sit up, but feels her chest seize in pain. It makes her glance down at her chest, finding bandages and herbs spread on her skin, a shirt that she recognizes as Killian's covering her up.

Killian.

She rises on unsteady feet, rushing from the tent. She has to find him, even in pitch black darkness. She wants to look at him and make sure she sees his light, make sure he looks like her sailor and not…

" _You did this to me."_

She sees people in this…camp? They were in a camp? People were looking at her in fright, hands on their weapon; it makes her tense as she looks around for a familiar face. The world is spinning, but she doesn't care she needs-

"Miss Swan?" Says a voice. She recognizes the voice; it makes her whirl around in confusion as her balance sways. The person catches her arm righting her.

"Regina." She slurs, recognizing the woman. She can hear her swallow in fright. "You can kill him if you want." She says mind still foggy. "My father, he means nothing to me anymore, you can kill him" She insists, pain radiating in her chest, feeling something start up the bleeding once more, but all she can think to say is to allow this woman to kill her father.

She must really be a monster.

"I never _wanted_ to kill him." The woman insists. "I never _wanted_ to cause your mother unhappiness." Emma opens her mouth to respond, when her balance tips again, but it is not Regina who helps her find her balance. She hears him moments before she feels strong arms catch her.

"Swan." Emma turns and looks at him. Blue eyes light with delight and relief, he looks a bit pale and exhausted, but he's fine. He's here. "You're awake."

He's still him. He's still Killian. He pulls her close, head resting on her shoulder in a relieved hug.

She nods, pulling away slightly to look at him, to rest her hand on hsi face, make sure it's warm rather than frigid. "You saved me." She breathes. "Again."

He chuckles, pulling her up bridal style to keep her from losing her balance, she finds herself looping her arms around his neck nuzzling deeper into him. He's ok, they're ok.

"One day Swan, you're going to realize just how much you saved me."

It's not a confession of love, but to her, it's enough.

XXXXXXXXXXXX

Killian brings her back inside the tent, settles her down onto the pillows, talking about changing the bandage before they can go about any other activities. She asks about Henry, but its night time and he must be asleep by now.

She manages to wrangle a gentle kiss from her strict caretaker. It's hot and warm and cool and soft all at the same time, but Emma's greedy, she wants more, she want it all. He pulls her in close as she pushes at the buttons of his vest. It makes him pull away.

"Not again!" She sighs. "I thought we got past the whole-" Killian shakes his head.

"Not that Swan, you're still injured; I don't want to hurt you." He reminds her, something unfamiliar in his voice. Emma rolls her eyes, pressing a hand to the wound in her chest and it disappears without a trace. Her heart flutters at the look of relief that crosses Killian's face.

"You won't." She insists. She's never felt safer than in his arms.

 _This was it_ , she realized _, her happy ending. It was him, the life they could build together_.

"I want a future with you." She admits suddenly. It catches him by surprise. She can see something flicking across his face, but eventually he just smiles.

"And I _want_ a future with you too." He replies. "Its just-" But Emma doesn't let him respond, doesn't let him damper her good mood with words of self-doubt and fear.

She wants him.

Right now.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXX

They are wrapped up in blankets, clothes thrown to the side carelessly, kissing all the worry away, when she hears the patter of familiar little feet.

"Hell!" She shrieks lowly, pulling away from his grip finding the sheet that was once under them, throwing it over them both, grabbing some clothing and stuffing it under the sheet, she didn't have time to get dressed completely, but she didn't want it to seem too obvious. Killian looks up in alarm, not understanding, but mimicking her movements just the same, pulling on his pants with due haste.

"Mom! You're awake and…what are you doing in bed, I thought you just woke up?" Henry asks barreling into the room. "Its like nearly noon!"

Her cheeks turn red. On one hand she wants to sweep her son into her arms and never let him go, but on the other hand, considering what she was currently doing and what she was currently wearing—or more specifically, what she wasn't wearing-it may not be a good idea.

"Resting?" She tries, before nodding thoughtfully. "Yes, Killian was very tired from taking care of me, so I was helping him rest." She assures him, touching his _sleep_ ruffled hair. Killian nods in agreement, a wide smirk on his face.

"So very tired." He drawls, including a fake yawn for effect. "Swan, maybe we should…rest some more?" He snickers, one hand twirling a strand of her blonde hair, the other snaking around her other side, resting on her hip, it just makes her flush deepen.

"Henry! Roland is-" Lily says as she enters as well, a small boy following behind her. Her eyebrows shoot up in alarm as she whirls around grabbing both Henry and the child by their shoulders and pointing them away. "Henry, why don't we leave them to their…"She trails off, shooting them daggers.

"Resting." Killian supplies. "Emma's here, helping me rest."

Emma hits him on the back of the head lightly. Lily leads Henry and the child out of there.

"Next time, do something! Hang something on the tent, paint a red X on it I don't care!" Lily seethes, retreating from the room.

Killian laughs. Emma scowls.

"Back to bed pirate." She snaps with a smirk.

"If the lady insists."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Killian finally rested.

(Like seriously this time, because her sailor practically looked half dead when she'd first seen him.)

Emma, who'd learned she had had way too much sleep lately, was pretty content watching him drift off. She used her magic to put their clothes back on, just in case anyone else saw fit to interrupt them, and watched as the tension eased from his face and he just slept.

"Hey Killy?" She whispered, knowing he couldn't hear, "I had a bad dream about you, that something bad had happened to you." She admitted, hand on his cheek. "Worse than watching you die, worse than anything." She couldn't even speak the words of what she'd seen. In an almost unconscious knowledge of her distress, his head moves to press against her palm nuzzling deeper, a sleep ridden sigh escapes. She smiles at him.

"I promise you Killian, you've saved me loads of times, now I'm going to protect you from this ok? Trust me, if it's a premonition I'll stop it. I won't let you suffer anymore." They've both gone through a lot, now all they needed was a little bit of peace, of happiness. She kisses his forehead to seal her promise.

"Killian! I brought you-" Said a voice, making Emma's head snap up, looking over. A woman with light red hair entered, arms full with things. The second her eyes met Emma's her grin fell.

"Oh, you're awake." Emma smiled; The woman hadn't even bothered to hide her disappointment.

"I am." Emma confirmed, eyes scanning the things she was holding. The first was a plate of food, some herbs, bandages along with a book. "Who are you?" She asked.

The woman grinned, putting the things down on the desk, holding out her hand. "My name is Zelena, this camp you're in? Its mine, everything you see is mine." Emma noted the way her gaze flickered to Killian's unconscious face. She barely kept from bristling."I'm also the healer here." She informed her. "So I brought over some medicine."

Emma rolled her eyes. "I'm fine, save it for someone who needs it." She instructed.

Zelena met her gaze evenly. "Oh, I am. I'm changing the bandage on his hip" She said slowly going to Killian, indicating it before moving towards the offending injury.

Emma didn't like watching this, she didn't like the idea of anyone tending to Killian. She moved her hand, settling it over Killian's wound, healing it instantly. He stirred momentarily, muttering under his breath before easing.

"I have it covered." She said in a controlled voice.

Zelena scowled, backing away, before placing a plate on the desk. "I also brought him something to eat, a nice stew to keep up his strength, poor guy's been wasting away taking care of you."

Emma pretended she hadn't noticed the backhanded comment. She didn't like this Zelena woman, not one bit.

"It's also his favorite." Zelena insisted.

Emma scowled. Killian and her hadn't had a calm moment to discuss favorites, what was his favorite color? Favorite flower? Did guys have favorite flowers? Her eyes narrowed on the woman. Somehow this woman knew this little thing.

"Your fairy friend also sent this for him as well." She said, placing a purple vial on the desk. Emma opened her mouth, ready to cut her with a sharp reply when Killian moved besides her, an obvious dream taking place on his suddenly serious face, he thrashed lightly, gasping.

"Liam." He moaned. Emma placed a hand on his cheek, cooing soft nonsense, instantly calming him, before returning her gaze to Zelena.

"Thank you for taking care of _my_ sailor." She said with a genuine voice, choosing to be kind rather than possessive. "But I can take it from here. It's not the first time he's worn himself out trying to be strong for everyone." She said dismissively.

 _Ok, she was still the Dark One, possessiveness was part of the package. Could anyone really blame her? She'd nearly died and before that she'd gotten maybe an hour with her love after thinking him dead for over a week._

Zelena scowled before exiting.

She looked over at the things she had directed Killian ingest, with a wave of her magic, she judged its contents to be safe an innocent, if a little confusing.

"She means no harm Swan." Killian said softly, one eye peaking open to look at her. He must have been slightly awake when Zelena left. "Truly, she and Lily have just been making sure I'm here when you awoke." He told her. He grinned sitting up, pressing a kiss to his cheek

"Morning sailor." She greeted as he sat up with a yawn.

"Morning love." He replied.

She debated waiting, and easing into what would indeed be some unpleasant conversations.

But Emma Swan, was still Emma Swan, waiting and being anything less than blunt just wasn't her style.

"She said Lily wanted you to take these." She said pointing to the vial. He flinched at the sight, eyes trailing to her face. "I know what it is, it's for pain." She said pointedly. "Judging by how concentrated it is, a lot of it." She didn't understand, the wound on his hip didn't look that bad, was it more painful than she thought?

"Swan…" He said with a sigh, eyes closing as he sighs.

She takes a moment to look at him, he is paler, and the day time nap didn't look like it helped the circles under his eyes. He's thinner and he looks like he had the weight of the world on his shoulders.

"Something is going on." She observed.

"Aye." He said nervously. He averted his eyes. "Emma, love. It's not good." Her eyes widened. He seemed to be forcing out the words.

"Whatever's going on, we can fix it." She assured him. "It's not going to change anything between us." She promised, reaching over and uncapping the vial.

"That's a lot of faith you're putting in us Swan." He warned.

"There's a reason for that." She assured him, holding it out to him. He took it in trembling hands, drinking it in one foul swoop. "I love you, and whatever is bothering you, you can tell me on your own time. I trust you to know when that is, but if you're in pain-."

Killian shook his head. "I just want us to enjoy a moment of peace, you deserve it love. When I tell you, it'll disappear." He warned, not touching the vial, instead pushing it away. "I'm not in any pain, I promise."

She nodded, standing up, getting the bowl of stew, offering it to him.

"Then eat up sailor, we'll stay here a couple days, then you can tell me all about whatever has you sick with worry." She concluded. Emma didn't want to be that person, the person who forced him to tell her something, she wanted her sailor to tell her because he wanted to.

"Aye love. Just a couple days." He agrees, digging into the bowl.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

The second they leave the tent, hands linked, she sees him, speeding over to her.

"Emma!" Her eyes water as she embraces him in a tight grip.

"Henry, oh Henry, my sweet, sweet Henry." She murmured rocking slightly with her little boy in her arms, her sweet, sweet boy. "You're ok right? Not in any pain? The infection's gone?" She fretted.

He nodded. "I'm fine. Killian brought me here, took care of me and kept me safe, then Zelena took care of me, and now I'm back with Lily, really, I'm fine." He insisted. "I'm just glad that you're awake, I thought-"

She sighed into him, before loosening her embrace.

"I'm perfect. Killian's really good at taking care of us isn't he?" She looked around, seeing him exchanging casual words with Regina. There was slight chuckling between them until a little boy approached the woman and Killian began talking to the lad.

"Yeah, he is." He leaned in whispering. "He really, really, is."

It brought tears to Emma's eyes. Tears because she finally found a home, a home that Henry could be a part of. She looked back over, seeing Killian talk animatedly with the boy, tying his shoes.

"That's Roland." Henry told her. "Gina rescued him from the castle, it was why she tricked Sydney and took Killian to rescue you. None of the others wanted to help her, and she knew she needed help getting there." He told her. "He was really quiet that first day, but Gina made sure he knew he was safe."

That was kind of her; Emma knew that taking in a child that wasn't your own was a difficult thing to do. She wondered if anyone knew that he wasn't her son. Emma had unfortunately made sure of that. After learning that Regina wasn't actually plotting to destroy her family…Emma felt guilty.

"He's actually pretty fun, he likes stories, I told him my favorite one, he's probably asking Killian to tell it now." She looked at him curiously.

"And which one is that?"

Her kid smiled mischievously. "Why the tale of the Deckhand rescuing the Princess of course." Emma laughed.

"You're spending too much time around him, kid." She teased. "You sounded just like him."

Another knowing smirk. He said his goodbyes before going over to where Killian and Roland were. She was about to go over, when Lily approached her, smile bright and wide, like usual.

"Hey Emma, glad to see you and your sailor," She stopped, leaning in close. "Are fully clothed."

Emma blushed violently. "Sorry, we were…"

She rolled her eyes. "Yes, resting. I know." She crossed her arms. "But we have more pressing things to talk about don't we?" She asked.

Emma nodded. "Thank you for taking care of Henry and Killian." She smiled, nodding.

"Henry's my son, and as for your sailor, I'd keep an eye on him, he's been…under the weather, dizzy, barely eating, thankfully I'm the only one who noticed." She said carefully. "Mom wants to make sure he took what Zelena gave him this morning." Emma shakes his head.

"It's for pain and he said he wasn't in any." She inquired. "He wouldn't tell me about it." Lily huffed, looked in his direction, and summoning it. She then pressed it into her hand. The unspoken order of 'make him take it'

"Doesn't matter if he isn't in any pain now, he needs to take it. Keep an eye on him, he told me when he had to, but you should hear it from him." She explained softly, hand on her shoulder.

"He doesn't want to ruin the peace, but how am I going to help him if he won't tell me? Is it really this bad?" She pleaded.

Lily sighed, nodding towards one of the tent. "Mom knows more about what's going on, more than I do. Maybe ask her what you can do…without knowing? Trust me, he _has_ to tell you."

Emma frowned; she wasn't really excited with having a chat with that woman. She crossed her arms. "Am I going to have this little chat with Aurora's banter in the background?" She sighed.

Lily shook her head. "Aurora ran off. Mom tried to find her, but it's like she was never here, no trail, no anything. Mom's a wreck." Emma nodded in understanding, just the latest in Aurora's stunts. "I know she made the wrong choice, I think you'd do her some good."

Emma sighed in defeat, giving Killian a wary glance before heading towards the tent.

She spotted her immediately, folded hands, staring blankly at the tent wall, a wall obviously sliced. "Hi." She said softly, nervous. Mal looked up, looking at her with a grin.

"Emma, you're awake." The woman said standing, regaining her regal look, despite the slight redness in her eyes. "Henry and Lily said but I wasn't sure if you wanted to see me."

Emma nodded. "I didn't." She admits honestly. "But now I do. Now I want to understand." She says sternly. "Everything, how I have light magic, why you gave away the curse, what's wrong with Killian, what can I do to-"

The woman sat on a chair, bringing another across from her, patting it gently. Emma sat watching Mal intently. "I don't have all the answers." She began. "But I'll tell you what I know."

Emma nodded. "I don't know where you get it, just that your light magic is weak, but pure; it's the complete opposite of the Dark Curse." Emma rolled her eyes, _no duh!_

"But more specifically, the stronger your light magic means that your dark magic is weakening. You cannot have both at full strength. Its why you've never shown it before now." Emma blinked.

"I don't understand, why-"

Mal gave her her signature 'really' look. "Light magic is fueled by the purest of love, as you know." Emma felt a blush reach her cheeks. Thankfully, Mal changed the subject.

"Emma. I gave your mother the sleeping curse because I had faith you'd be alright." She confirmed. "Between Henry and Mr. Jones, I knew you'd wake up. It's no excuse, but I had faith. I had to try to save all my girls."

She shook her head. "Killian hasn't told me yet." She admitted. "That he loves me." She wasn't sure if it work without them both knowing for sure, she wasn't sure about the whole True Love nonsense to begin with.

"He told Henry, Gina, his sister as far as Henry's told, his reasons for holding back from you are significant and all his own." She insisted. Emma recognized the lack of 'must', implying that she knew his reasons.

"Something's wrong isn't it?" She asked. "The potion. I knew what it was. He didn't tell me what's wrong but I know it's bad." She just could figure out what had him so scared? What had him so worried that he was getting ill over it?

Mal nodded. "I promised I wouldn't say." She replied.

"Then tell me what I can do to help. I don't…I want him to be ok." She pleaded. "I don't know what I'd do if I lost him again." She said softly.

"Keep an eye on him." She began. "Keep him from pushing himself too far. Rest is good, and not the kind of rest you two would prefer to engage in, also skipping that is not a good thing." She said with a smirk, eyeing the vial. "I'm here for you Emma, so is Lily and Henry."

She nodded. "I'll take care of him, now everything is ok, we're all ok now." She said surely, not waiting for her to refute, it wasn't denial in her voice it was faith that everything would be ok.

She could _make it_ ok.

Emma said her goodbyes before exiting the tent and returning to him, he looked so happy entertaining the child, children, he seemed to have gathered a crowd as he paced around, telling his tale.

She ventured over to them just in time to see Killian talking about Elsa, chuckling at the high pitched voice he used for the Ice Witch's voice and the sappy words he used to describe 'the Dark Princess'.

"I see you two reunited." Said a voice besides her, she sighed, another person . "I honestly thought you two wouldn't leave that tent for a week." She snickered. Emma looked over, seeing Regina. She was hesitant, trying to get a proper read on her know that she knew her identity.

"Yeah, maybe later." She said simply, crossing her arms.

"So?" She prodded, turning towards her slightly, gaze firm. "Lay it on me, what rumors has she spread about me?"

Emma hesitated.

"Look, we're both adults here, I'm going to tell it to you straight. I knew your mother when I was young. We were friends, did I get her boyfriend killed, yes. Did I mean to do it? No. She told me that she was going to have him murder someone, an innocent girl, my sister's friend. So I told someone. I thought they would stop him, sweep it under the rug. I never thought they would hang him." She admitted sadly.

"My mother said you killed him, that you were jealous that she was in love with someone who mattered and you weren't." She said softly.

Regina clenched her jaw. "Is that why you killed them? Cora and Henry? Vengeance for your mother? Why you cursed us to never age? Why I could never have my own child?"

She remembered it. She remembered appearing in their home, everyone looked so happy. There was music, the father was dancing with a young Regina and the mother was teaching a woman that looked like Zelena how to sew.

Their behavior, Regina's fear and Zelena's silent hostility finally clicked for her, they remembered her. She had entered, ripped out the hearts of the two adults and crushing them to dust in her hands. Her first assassination, she had been sobbing the whole time, hearing their bodies fall, it caused her to tune out for an entire year.

"I know. She tricked you. Its fine." Regina said, crossing her arms, avoiding her sight. "You thought you were defending your-" She stopped her, grabbing her arm and pulling her away from the group. This wasn't a conversation Emma wanted overheard.

"I was not tricked, I was not fooled, I was c _ontrolled._ I killed them not because I wanted to. Not because I was doing anything for a good reason, understood?" She snapped.

Regina flinched.

"I remember them. Your mother told you to run, Zelena took your hand and you did, but when the house caught on fire you two were separated. Your father told me that there was another way, that I could take the right path. He loved you so much." She said softly. She could see the tears in the woman's eyes.

"I wish I hadn't done it, and this isn't me trying not to take responsibility. This is me telling you the truth. My power, it comes with a price."

Regina nodded a level of understanding passing between them "I'm sorry. I shouldn't have brought it up. I always thought you were just…an out of control child."

Emma chuckled. "I was _never_ 'out of control', at least not as a child, after I turned 18, then you can say I was…out of control."

Regina smiled softly. "You don't seem to out of control, and you don't seem like the scary Dark One I've been told about." She reasons.

Emma shrugs. That's what Killian said too.

"I can remove the curse if you'd like." She said instead. "Or at least try to." turning back to where Killian sat, completely consumed by the story.

"We'd like that." Regina admits sheepishly, "But is there a price? Will we suddenly revert to our true age?" She asks. Emma shakes her head. Her hand glowing with black magic, she summons a pair of necklaces from her secret vault. They look identical, a large square crystal pendant, one purple, the other green. She can see the recognition dawning on the brunette.

"Talismans have much power." She begins. "I take it you recognize them?" Regina nods.

"Mother gave them to us on our 16th birthday." She explains. "I went back to find them after…I thought looters had…are you telling me these were the source of the curse?" She accuses.

Emma nods. She waves her hand over them, they glow briefly and she hands them back to her. "Take them back, the curse will slowly fade." She explains. "But you have to wear them constantly for a while." Otherwise the curse won't fade.

She narrows her eyes.

"How do I know that you aren't trying to trick me?" She accuses.

"Because you saved Killian and Henry, I owe you a debt, several actually. I have to keep up my side of the deal, call it a compulsion." She explained.

"The same kind that got my parents killed?" She asks. Emma admires her bold question. Emma nods. Regina slips the purple one on. Emma smirked.

"What?"

"I've always wondered which one belonged to whom, I picked right, green, not your color." Regina rolled her eyes.

"Come on, I need to make sure your pirate isn't filling my boy's head with fairytales." She muttered.

Emma returned to stand beside him, placing a hand gently on his shoulder. He reaches up to cover it.

"Oh Swan, you're just in time to tell the part where the dashing Deckhand saved y-er _the Princess_ form the fierce Wolf demon!" He says with a laugh.

She smacks him lightly in the back of the head.

* * *

A fluffy chapter with some set ups for the hell that's coming. Sorry folks. I don't write much fluff. I also wanted Emma to get some scenes with a few different people, especially Regina.

I realized I had her and Zelena age a little inconsistently, so this little curse dialogue was my way around it. Sorry if it seemed a little out there, I'll try to flesh it out a bit more later on. There are only so many plot holes I can catch before someone falls through.

(To see more about Regina's backstory with Snow, see Love of All Kinds, 'The Fairest of Them All' in particular)

Ok, so I was planning on announcing this after last chapter, but it was too long.

The Purple Fairy isn't exactly JUST a sequel. I'm not stopping here, I'm having too much fun with this universe, too much fun imagining _other_ flipped characters.

I'll leave it at that.

Guest Reviews:

Anna: Confusion at this point is good, there's still a lot of things that are going to happen very soon and very fast. Liam is a very interesting character. I'm glad my story has you interested enough to want to walk around with them, as a story teller, that's an amazing compliment. I'm glad you liked that part, the Zelena war will be very interesting and sort of important soon. I actually fell in love with Lily writing this, especially her bonding with Killian. Yes, I'm back to weekly updates, hopefully they won't be too bad. Trust me, I understand the torture, I fallow nearly 100 fics on this site, some of which are not weekly updates. I only do it because the story is complete and I want to space it out.

andria: Killian is in a lot of trouble for sure. But Emma's awake now, what could possibly go wrong?

Guest: I'm glad you liked the chapter, the pacing for things like this always worries me. I'm glad you thought it was good. My reasoning for why Mal didn't know Lily could do that is because its magic and poison, she knows a bit about it, but not everything. I may address it a bit later.. Whether Killian changes his mind is anyone's guess.

I'm only going to do a minor rant about the finale, although I don't recall where the episodes broke up, so I'm going to do them together...

First of all, if Robin HADN'T died, I don't think Regina would be feeling any of this conflicting emotions, which I see as the driving force behind this arc, so even though its sad, its not pointless. It caused Regina's doubt, which let her split herself in two, which will create a lot of awesome tension. I understand Henry's motivation for destroying magic, and I love him and Violet together! so cute! (And Violet's parents being from this realm? I'm predicting Lily is her mom right now. Go ahead and quote me) Rumple chose power AGAIN. Parellel from him and Bae anyone? The second volume of the story book had characters I loved! Guliver's travels! Paul Bunian! I can't wait to see how that happens.

I've never read Mr. Jenkin and Mr. Hyde before, but it was definitely an interesting twist. It was much better than spoilers hinted, which speaks volumes at their ability to manipulate us through the press.

Sorry for the long Author's note.

~Luna

~Luna


	20. Chapter 20

Chapter 20

But You Can't Take the Deckhand Out of the Man

He knew that he should tell her right away, he could imagine how angry she would be that he chose to wait any length of time. Not to mention the fact that Lily too would want him to tell Emma what was really going on, but he couldn't help it.

Killian was still scared of her reaction, he was scared of his own reaction if he was being honest. He just didn't want this peaceful, quiet moment to go away just yet.

"That's a neat story Killy!" The little boy, Roland, said, jumping up from his seat when he finished his tale. He grinned. "So? What happened next? After the Deckhand and the Princess returned to the port?"

Emma laughed besides him, hand drifting over his shoulder.

"Well lad, that's a story for another day." He said simply, standing up.

"Please! At least tell us a little tiny bit of a bit." The boy insisted. He could see other children making their way over, eyes wide with curiousity, wanting to know more stories.

"Roland." Regina starts, but Killian shakes his head, who was he to stiffen their curiosity?

"The three of them went off to search for the Purple fairy and her daughter, the…Dragon Girl of course." Emma interrupted, taking his seat from him. He stared at her as she smirked back at him, an obvious challenge in her expression.

 _Minx._

"You see, they were the Little Thief's family and the Princess wanted to return his happy ending to him." She explained. "She wasn't ready to admit just how much she cared for her dashing Deckhand, and neither was he, so he accompanied her on her new mission."

The boy's eyes went wide, while Henry's narrowed, looking obviously irritated by her using the word 'Little'.

"Did they? Did they rescue them?"

Killian nodded.

"Did they have their happily ever after?" Roland continued.

Killian froze, debating lying, but knew Emma would catch it, he couldn't risk that.

"Yes." Emma said in that breathless way she used to make his heart melt. She was confident and sure and worse, she was so _happy_. He could see it in her face.

It made Killian want to hit something. He wanted to see that face forever. The second she knew that face would be gone.

"I wouldn't listen to them Roland." Said a voice that made him tense, he could feel the man coming up behind him, feeling the sneer on his back. "Sometimes stories are just stories."

It was none other than Sydney. Moving forward, placing his arm around his shoulder like they were mates or something. "For example. This story leaves out the part about the Princess being evil."

He could see the boy's eyes widen. "Evil?" His voice far away and scared. Emma flinched and Killian wanted to punch the man.

"Oh yes, why do you think she was imprisoned? She did bad things, and the Deckhand was selfish to let her out of her cage." The man said casually. Killian shrugged out of his touch.

"That's a matter of opinion." He said in a controlled voice, the man placed his hand back on his shoulder, leading him closer to the children who were either whispering or looking at him with confusion. All Killian wanted was to give them a nice pleasant story? Why the hell was this snake of a man ruining this?

"Do you know why the Deckhand was a fool? Because he wanted something from the Princess. He wanted to unleash evil on the world because he wanted the princess's help, why else would anyone care for such dreadful creature?"

He froze. Emma was standing now, turning and staring at the man, glaring daggers.

"Mate." He said in a near whisper. "I'd advise you to move your arm if you'd like to keep it." He growled. Sydney did as he scowling at him.

"No! The Deckhand went there to rescue her because it was Good Form!" Roland shouted, obviously upset. "And the Princess was there because her mother was mean and didn't like her!"

Regina reacted instantly, going over and picking him up, big fat tears threatening to fall. She cooed gently, ensuring him of the first and better version of the story. She shot Sydney a cold glare.

"Who the hell do you think you are, we were trying to tell a nice story!" Emma hissed at the man as Regina shepherded away the children, this was something they did _not_ need to see. "You didn't have to make the boy cry."

The man didn't even look at her. "A nice story, tell me Deckhand, does it have a happy ending? Does he get the girl or does he…die trying."

He snapped. Punching the man straight in the jaw, he knew, somehow he knew. The man got up and hit him back in the eye, but Killian didn't care, he was just about to lay another blow on the man when others of the camp came over seeing the violence and grabbing his arms back, restraining him.

"Let him go." Emma growled, magic sparking.

"Makes me wonder if the Deckhand was being honest, maybe the reason he liked her was that his heart was as dark as the Dark One." Syd continued. "Or maybe darker." A part of him was glad the men hadn't listened to Emma as he swore he'd kill the man for his words, all Killian could see was red.

But it was Emma that snapped, punching him square in the jaw, knocking him down.

"Shut up!" She seethed, the mane dropped him, going over towards Emma, hesitant over what to do. "Don't ever say that! You hear me? Killian is light! He freed me because he cared!" She seethed.

He hadn't expected her anger to be quite so…fierce.

"Sydney! That's enough!" Zelena snapped. "Miss Swan, you too." Killian noticed the men looking at Swan warily as she took a breath, calming down as he neared a hand on her shoulder. Sydney got to his feet surging forward but Zelena stopped him. "They are guests here, and it would be wise to remember to respect them." She snapped. He turned away from the scene, clenching and unclenching his fists, noticing Emma's magic flickering as well.

Zelena moved away from Sydney towards him. "Killian are you alright?" She asked gently, smiling brightly at him.

He could hear Emma practically growl as Zelena touched the spot just below his eye. Killian gently moved her hand away before Emma could react. Emma had been strangely hostile to the red head this morning and the last thing they needed was to be kicked out of camp because Emma had done something reckless.

He didn't want this, this fight, to dwell in things neither of them could help.

"I'm going to get some bloody firewood." He muttered darkly when it looked like Emma had her control over her temper, wanting desperately to be alone for a moment.

"Killian." Emma called, following him. He didn't stop until he reached an empty clearing; if he was going to stop he might as well make sure they were alone.

"One day, Emma. I wanted to give you one day of just laughter and happiness." He said, voice still quivering angrily as he turned back towards her, pacing back and forth, back and forth. He couldn't stop. If he stopped he'd have to look at her, and she'd look at him and his resolve to keep going would crumble. She deserved one day.

 _You're a coward Jones, the second you tell her its real, you can tell Lily and Maleficent, but telling Emma would mean you're actually dying._

"You are." She insisted, trying to still him, it wasn't quite working. "Being with you makes me happy, so _so_ happy."

He gave her a small smile. "You make me happy Emma, never forget that." She cupped his cheek, rubbing the bristles of his facial hair.

"You'll be here to remind me silly." She giggled.

He just smiled at her, he couldn't correct her, and he couldn't lie to her. So he just smiled.

"Killian, can I ask you a question?" She said suddenly. "The mermaid who healed you, why did she do that? It has been bugging me." She admitted sheepishly. "Is she why you're not well?"

He sighed, knowing he'd have to tell her eventually, but had wanted to wait for that too.

"I mean if you don't want to tell me I get it-" He shook his head, going to an empty spot and laying down on the soft grass, patting the spot besides him.

"I'll tell you Swan. I should tell you a bloody lot of things, I guess I can start there." He said. "Your boy knows, at least a bit, so you should know too."

He saw her curiosity spike, but didn't question him, letting him get out his secret when he was good and ready.

"I told you how my mother abandoned the family when I was an infant yes? My father was a royal, an active participant in the royal court, when it was active of course, my brother went with him, he was popular you know, had tons of friends, anyway, my mother gave birth to me and left me with a neighbor, after she'd been gone a week, they sent word to my father. He and Liam came down to our home village as soon as possible, taking a few weeks' time before finding me. They were stunned by my mother's sudden disappearance, thinking something terrible had happened to her. But she was seen running off with a pirate. She completely abandoned me, us." He could see sorrow in Emma's gaze, making him chuckle. There was so much more.

"After Neverland, I must have been 16, I was still openly rebelling against the…Smee, I never truly stopped, so his…manners of discipline were still pretty severe." He admitted. "But while sailing one day, we heard this beautiful singing voice, it was mesmerizing. It had the ship's crew so entranced that they nearly led us straight to the rocks. I could recognize its beauty, but I wasn't…enchanted. I ran to the deck, changed out course, and saved all of our lives." He touched his side, where a particularly nasty burn scar remained. "Smee wasn't pleased, saying how he didn't need a lowly Deckhand touching his ship." He touched the one right above it. He'd received that one when he stated that the ship wasn't Smee's.

"The next day a furious storm tore us from our path, docking us on an abandoned island against our will." He explained. "The crew left to investigate, ended up getting themselves stuck in a cave." He laughed. "But then someone came on the ship as I was mopping, a little girl around ten years old. She asked me why I didn't get confused when she sang. She was a mermaid, or half one if your being technical…at first I didn't understand." He explained. "Then she asked me if I'd go and visit her mother, she said that _her_ mother always new the answers."

Emma's eyes widened, he could see her connecting the dots, but let him say the words. "I never had a single living memory of her before that day, but I'd seen the pictures from Liam, every day on her birthday, Liam would get bloody drunk and curse her name. The moment I saw the Little Mermaid's mother, I recognized her, and she somehow recognized me." He remembered the way she'd embraced him, looking unsurprised at his sudden visit.

Emma squeezed his arm comfortingly. "Did she give you a reason? For what she did?" He nodded.

"My mother was a seer, often predicting things for the future, nothing ever good actually. She supposedly predicted deaths and births in the village, sometimes helping to change the paths. She told me that she saw the path she would take to bring my sister, the little mermaid, into the world, that she was destined for greatness. That the world needed her in it." He explained. "And she saw that my life would bring great darkness into the realm." He clenched his fists. "She told me that it was still an option, that she could guide me away from it, but only if I chose to stay here with her and her daughter. Her new husband was away on a trip and would be back. She said it like she expected me to be a part of her family with open arms." He growled. "I knew what she was doing. She felt guilty, guilty for ruining my life and having found a perfect little angel in her new daughter."

He took a breath.

Fear flashed in Emma's eyes for a second. "What is it Swan?" He asked.

"I-I understand. It must have hurt to have been replaced." She said softly. "And to be abandoned for no good reason." He nodded. "Continue." She urged.

"Ursula, my half-sister, visited the ship often, at first to deliver messages from my mother and so she could get to know me, and before long…" He grinned in laughter. "She became enamored by Smee's first mate, a young lad, only a year or two older than I, but a wiz with a sword and a chart. Ursula fished him out of the sea one day and it was love at first sight."

He smiled at her. "Apparently it's quite common to fish those we care for out of the sea." He teased, making Emma roll her eyes.

"I had a brother." She said in a quick breath.

He was surprised, but heard the past tense in her voice, the sadness in her face. "Oh Swan…" She shook her head.

"He should be four by now. Boys can't inherit magic, only acquire it through uncontrollable circumstances." She admitted. "Mother told me she got rid of him. Killed him for a spell."

Killian paled, thinking about what kind of vile woman would do that to their own child.

 _Well, after seeing the pain she caused Swan…perhaps it wasn't too far of a stretch._

 _"_ I believed her. But now, now I'm questioning it." He looked at her, waiting for her to elaborate. "My mother has this tradition she did with me as a child. On my first birthday, I got a chain, and every year after she'd give me a charm, each with a different reason or purpose." She explained.

It sounded vaguely familiar. Then it hit him.

"You think-" She nodded.

"I think Neal's my lost little brother." She admitted. "And I don't know what to do about it."

He tried to keep his expression neutral, and it seemed to have worked, she didn't see the way the news crushed his soul, made him want to confess his secret condition to her and weep in her arms.

"Maybe you should go and see him? After Henry is set up?" He says curiously. "He's family Swan. Family comes first."

She nodded. "I barely got to chance to see him, I was too focused on what was going on at the time, and it seems so far away now." She admitted.

He agreed with that. "Will you come with me to see him? To test if he's really who I think he is? I know you'll see that man, and it brings up painful memories but-"

Killian couldn't stop himself. "If it was up to me love, I'd follow you to the ends of the earth." He vowed. She grinned, pulling herself closer to him, nuzzling her head into the crook of his neck.

"I don't know what I'd do without you Killian."

Another stab in the heart, when he told her the truth, she'd have to delay that, stay in constant wonder until they found him a cure in Neverland. He hated this. He hated what it would cost her if she told him.

"If it was up to me, you'd never have to find out." He replied.

They stayed like that for a little while, returning to camp with grass in their hair and a bright smile on her face. Lily was there and Emma left to talk to her in private again. He stood there for a moment before Zelean approached him.

"My apologies for earlier." He began. "You and Gina have been very kind in offering us shelter for these few days." Zelena waved him off, stepping into his space.

"No biggie, I'm just glad I can help."She replied. "Are you going back into the tent?" Killian nodded.

"I thought I'd get our things out so you can have your dwelling back." He told her kindly. "It seems unfair to keep you from your home when both Swan and I are perfectly able to stay elsewhere." He reasoned. "We'll probably be leaving soon anyway."

Her smile faded. "You're leaving soon?" She asked. "I-er...Roland will miss you." He felt his cheeks flush and Killian couldn't help but pull at his collar as Zelena stepped closer. "Please don't go?" she asked in a whisper.

"Swan's all better now." He reminded her. "Thank you again for everything, but I go where Emma goes." He said gently, backing away slightly. He didn't want to offend the lass, but he suddenly understood both Lily and Emma's concerns.

Zelena backed away as if she had been slapped, her frown increasing and Killian felt himself shiver at the look in her eyes. "Fine." she snapped. "I hope you know what kind of person you're getting involved with, Killian. She's going to hurt you." Zelena said ominously before she left.

He sat down at the small desk, taking a moment to enjoy the shade. He was going to tell her as soon as she was done with Lily. He would show her the marks, then tell er the story from the very beginning. He wouldn't hide a single detail from her.

Emma was going to be _livid_ with him.

Killian felt the burn on his arm, he looked over, scratching at it in an effort to alleviate some of the irritation, but it only seemed to make it worse. _Bloody hell_ , he thought he'd have _some_ time before the pain came back. The last thing he wanted was not to be completely focused when he told Swan.

Killian looked over, seeing the purple vial sitting peacefully on the desk. He shrugged; he should have probably taken the bloody thing earlier. Killian uncapped it and chugged it.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

His head was cotton when he awoke…awoke?

Killian looked around.

 _Where the hell am I?_

There was grass beneath him, he clawed at it, trying to make some sort of sense out of everything. But no matter how hard he tried, he couldn't…there was just nothing.

 _He'd been waiting for Swan hadn't he? How had he gotten outside?_

He stood on shaky legs as his vision seemed to shift in and out of focus. Slowly he realized that he was on a familiar path just outside of camp. He moved forward, hoping there was some explanation and that Swan was ok and could tell him what the bloody hell had happened.

He felt hung over but not. It was too bloody odd.

It took longer than he'd like to get back to camp, he saw the uneasy looks, but passed them off, it wasn't unusual. He walked into their tent.

"Swan. Something distressing happened." He began, seeing her blonde hair as she was facing away from him. He moved towards her, placing his hand on her shoulder but she slapped his hand away the second it made contact. "Swan? Has something…" He tried. He was alarmed at her violent reaction.

She rolled her eyes.

"You have a lot of nerve Jones, thinking you can pull the wool over my eyes." She shot darkly. "I know _exactly_ what secret you've been hiding, to think I was worried about you." She laughed. "But its fine, now you don't have to worry about breaking the news to me anymore."

He blinked. "Break the news?" He questioned. He must have told her before whatever fog had risen over his memory. "You mean you know that I-" Emma cut him off with a snarl.

"Don't say it; haven't you caused me enough pain?" She demanded in a broken voice. "I can't forgive this, not ever!"

He blinked. She knew? That he was dying, he knew she'd be upset but he didn't think she'd be like this.

"Swan, please understand, I didn't know how to tell you." He pleaded. "Let me explain."

She looked at him with an _evil_ expression. "I don't want your explanations." She snapped. "I don't want to ever see you again."

He felt his heart tighten, she was gathering up her things, bits of clothing, all the little signs of Emma Swan.

She was leaving.

"Are we leaving? I'll get my things I'll-" She shook her head.

" _I'm_ leaving." She clarified. "But not with you." She insisted.

She was leaving _him._

"Emma don't do this!" He shouted suddenly before he took a ragged breath. This could not be happening. He didn't understand why this was happening. Didn't she understand why he had lied? "Don't leave." He pleaded. He felt and sounded desperate. He didn't want to lose her. He couldn't.

She crossed her arms, he knew without a doubt that it was the Dark Swan looking at him; her eyes were just so cold. "This is the last place I want to be, to watch this? I won't do it. If you thought I would stay after this, then you don't know me at all."

How had he been so wrong? If she truely cared for him, her reaction wouldn't be this. She wouldn't be this cruel. They were right, Elsa, Regina, Zelena, he never mattered to her. He was nothing but a tool. A bloody broken tool. He felt used.

"I don't want to be alone." He begged one last time. He felt petty for needing her, but he just couldn't help it. He didn't want to go back to his life without her, and he certainly didn't want to die without her. He could already feel it, the very idea of staying anywhere without him made a terrible fear grip his heart."I'd go to the end of the world for you, please just-" He wasn't sure if he could bear it, to be turned into that coward all over again. He needed her. Surely she understood that? Surely she'd give him this one act of mercy?

She laughed.

"Oh you won't be alone." She said sarcastically. "But it sure as hell won't be me sticking around."

Killian knew she could be cruel, just never to him.

"A Deckhand and a Dark One, we were never meant to be." She continued. "You once told me something. That you'd come with me for as long as I wanted you, well this is me. Not wanting anything more to do with you." She sneered. "You're off the hook." At that word she grabbed the charm from around her neck and dissolved it into _nothing._

She may as well have stabbed him. She probably should have stabbed him.

Emma turned her back on him, gathering something else in the far corner.

"Fine Swan. Just bloody fine." He seethed. "Go run away. I won't chase you. I won't come after you." He vowed. "Leave now and that's it, we're over I can't-."

She glared at him than snapped her fingers before he could even finish.

She dissolved in a puff of dark grey smoke.

He stared at the spot for a moment, as if willing it to return his Swan. His knees buckled as the realization settled in.

She was gone.

* * *

I meant to post this on Wednesday but I forgot.

Do you know what I really love about posing this story? That sometimes I recognize the names of authors who follow/favorite I've read stories from and I freak out a bit because they like my writing. **NothingImpossible** wrote an amazing review of Freeing the Witch the other day on her tumbler that literally made my week, especially since I love her stories. I recommend anyone reading this to go check it out her work as well.

Guest reviews:

Anna: Bad Killian just happened in Emma's dream. Snowing is returning in a few chapters with lots of answers, just hang tight. I'm glad you still liked that last chapter. I look forward to your review of this chapter.

andria:I love throwing in my references. That 'taco' scene was so much fun to write. I'm nervous of where its going too. I hope you like it.

Don't forget to review!

Luna~


	21. Chapter 21

Chapter 21

How to be Broken

She places her arm around Henry, holding him close, she couldn't help holding him whenever she could, reminding herself over and over again that he was safe and sound, that no one would take away the people she loved. Emma just wanted to squeeze him and never let him go.

"I'm fine Mom." He says with a sigh of irritation. "All three of you, seriously, I'm OK." There constant attention has probably been getting on his nerves. "When are we going to finish Operation Lizard and start on Operation Seahorse?" He asked.

Emma looked at Lily in question. "Operation Lizard concludes when we pick out our new home." She states in explanation. "Operation Seahorse is…"Lily trailed off as Henry stepped in.

"Killian gave me Violet's earring. I know you think she's dead, but she isn't." He insists. "I'm going to find her." He states boldly. "Mom promised me she'd help me track her once we were settled."

Emma looks at him sadly, "Henry-" She starts.

"I told her that you are the Dark One, she saved Killian. We owe her to at least try don't we?" He demands. "The Sorcerer wouldn't let the Queen just kill a teen right? That's what Killian said, maybe they moved her and she was trying to send a message or-"

She sees Lily trying to put him down gently but Emma stops her.

"Alright Henry, count me in." She says simply. "Operation Seahorse is a go." Her boy grins.

Lily looks at her, sees the familiar telltale signs of a disagreement over their son. "You're always preaching about hope, I got my miracle, my boys were alive, have hope Lilith." She teases. Lily scowls at the use of her full name, but nods in agreement all the same.

"First I'm finding us a damn house." She states plainly. "I'm so freaking tired of these stupid tents, I swear, I think one of those guys is always peaking when I change." She says bitterly, looking at her maps, biting her tongue in deep concentration.

(Killian's maps, Henry informs her, Killian had a ton of cool maps)

"These are the places I narrowed down for our next house; I'm thinking something not made out of wood?" She says with a smirk. "I have no idea how we lasted so long considering..." She snickers, gesturing to herself. Lily purposely makes her eyes flash green.

Henry bursts into chuckles at that, like always.

"Remember when you got that cold? You almost burned off Grandma's eyebrows!" He laughs. Lily leans in close.

"Want to know a secret?" She whispered. "I actually did, Grandma just used a glamour spell to make it look like I didn't." She replies. Henry howls in laughter.

It makes Emma feel slightly jealous, wondering what other silly story mother and son share. She had a handful, but not nearly enough.

"I'm going with Mom to check them out; Gina's agreed to watch out for Henry until we get back." She explains, looking back at the maps.

Emma comes closer, looking at the designated spots, they look like nice villages, none have strong allegiances for or against the Queen, as far as she's heard. Henry could have a nice home in any one of them.

"Why don't Killian and I come with you?" She suggests. It would be nice for the two of them to have an adventure that wasn't life or death. Their time walking around that village before everything went to hell was amazing; they could do with some more of that fun.

"Um…are you sure? Isn't there…something else you should be doing?" Lily asks, her voice tense, obviously beating around the bush.

"No, why?" Emma asks, turning towards her, arms crossed.

"I just…assumed." She tries, but Emma can tell there's something more, something Lily isn't saying.

"Lily…" She says. "What is it?"

Stubborn as always, she shakes her head. "Talk to your sailor." She says finally.

"Lily, do you not want me to come with you?" Emma asks.

Lily freezes, shaking her head quickly. "Of course I want you to come with me! It's been forever since we were just…Lily and Emma. But listen to me when I tell you, there is something much more important that you should be doing." She snaps. The woman sighs, taking her leave, making up some excuse about checking on her mother.

Emma shrugs, deciding that whatever has Lily in a mood shouldn't be too important. She just had to settle some unfinished business and then she could sail off with Killian, go somewhere her parents would never find her. She had her happily ever after in her grasp! Whatever Lily thinks should be occupying Emma's time probably isn't important if she can't even remember it.

But Killian also had something to tell her, something that had been holding him back from committing to loving her, maybe it was about how pale he was, why he still looked exhausted. She knows that whatever it is, they can work through it. There was nothing that was unforgiveable when someone loves you.

She just had to find Killian, tell her that they were going to help Lily, explain their plan, and all would be well. However, her sailor isn't waiting outside the tent, so she peeks inside.

The tent is empty, he'd gone in here hadn't he? She couldn't help but wonder where he'd-

 _Shoot._ Emma says silently, patting her pocket, feeling the purple bottle still in her pocket.

Emma still had Killian's medicine. She should probably go find him and get him to take it. She exited the tent wondering which way he went.

"Looking for Killian?" Regina asked, making Emma turn at the sound of her voice. She nodded.

"He headed towards the lake with Zelena." She explained. Emma looked at her in confusion. Why would Killian be going there? And with Zelena? Regina crossed her arms in irritation.

"Do you know why?" She asked the bandit.

"Nope." She said in annoyance. "Apparently it's 'none of your business sister dear.' " She said mocking the red head's voice. "I love my sister, but lately she's been getting on my last nerve. I know she's stressed about-" She shook her head, fumbling with something in her pocket. "Doesn't matter." She said begrudgingly. Emma assumes Regina had realized exactly who she was about to vent to before walking towards the food instead.

Emma looked back at the path with wonder.

Should she follow?

She did. She just wanted to make sure he was alright. Emma didn't trust Zelena one bit, especially after that odd interaction earlier that morning.

It didn't take long before she heard his voice talking softly.

 _"Why Killian? What's taking so long?"_ It was Zelena's voice. She sounded frustrated and angry. What did she have to be angry at Killian over?

" _I know, I know. I'll tell her, I promise."_ Killian replied quickly. " _I just need a little more time."_ He insisted.

Did everyone but her know his secret? Why had he told _her_? It didn't make sense.

" _I'm tired of waiting Killian. I'm tired of hiding."_ Emma's heart dropped, she shook her head. It wasn't what it sounded like, she'd made the mistake of jumping to conclusions before and she wouldn't now, she'd just come out and ask them, him, what was going on. That's what she would do.

She stepped form her obscured position, closer to the sound of their voice.

" _I'll tell her today._ " Killian said, she saw him there, standing too close to her. " _I promise love_."

 _Love_. He always called _her_ love, her and her alone.

Zelena was smiling and then, she _kissed_ him.

Her jaw dropped. Emma wanted to go over there and pull her by the hair off _he_ r Killian! What made her think that he would just-

Killian didn't push her away, he was smiling, holding her tightly, just like she held her, just wasn't possible, it wasn't-

They parted and Killian was smiling, his forehead pressed against hers. "I'll tell her the truth, that _I love you._ That I'm sorry for hurting her, but she _isn't_ my true love, she isn't _you_."

Emma couldn't watch anymore, she couldn't take it. She ran. She ran right to Lily, tears building in her eyes.

"Emma what-" She shook her head, she couldn't talk about this, not now. "I'm guessing you know." Lily said sadly. She nodded.

"I want to leave." She said softly. "I want us all to leave." Lily looked at her in confusion.

"Leave? Why?" She asked in shock.

"I can't watch him. I can't watch this." She admitted. "Please, can we leave?" Lily still didn't look like she understood. Her eyes were narrowed, brow furrowed in confusion. How could she not understand? Killian was _cheating on her._ It was Emma's right to be upset!

 _He lied to her._

 _He was just like everyone else._

"Emma, you can't run away. You have to fight!" She urged. "Fight for him! You can fix this, I know you can, if anyone can fix this, it's you!" She met Lily's eyes evenly.

"Lily. Stop. You're not going to change my mind. I'm leaving. I just hoped…that you'd come with me, you Mal, Henry. Please. I need you." Lily sighed, giving a small nod, but Emma saw she was disappointed. Did she really think that Emma should fight for someone who didn't want her? It just made no sense. She was better than that.

She also thought Killian loved her so who was she to be one to see the truth? She went to their tent where they'd-

He'd slept with her while being in love with Zelena. How could he do something so terrible? Where was all that Good Form he kept preaching? She wanted to get her things and leave. She hoped she didn't see his lying face again.

"Swan something distressing has happened" He said interrupting her thoughts.

She didn't want to hear it, the excuses the reasons. None of it, especially when he pleaded with her to stay, to watch him with _her,_ exchanging sweet words, kissing, laughing, loving each other.

And when Emma Swan was hurt, well, she reacted.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

She appeared in Lily's tent, hoping Killian wouldn't chase after her here.

(or maybe that's what she wanted, Emma wasn't sure)

Lily entered momentarily, arguing with Henry over the fact that they were leaving. She could hear Lily being vague until they saw her. Henry bolted towards her.

"Why are we leaving? And why can't Killian come with us?" He insisted. "Why are we running away?" She sighed. This is why she didn't get involved with people, why she didn't let them know things about her life, because it made her feel like this.

"He just isn't Henry." She said simply, wiping away her tears. "Please don't ask any more."

He didn't. He just reached in, wrapping his arms around her tightly. "I'm sorry mom." He said. "Don't be sad." She shook her head.

"I'm not Henry. Everything is going to be ok." She promised. She would make it ok. It was a wonder how much they had to pack with only having stayed a few days.

She watched him as they packed up; Mal had a surprising amount of ingredients, all of which had to be labeled before poofing or they might exploud or something. Just as they finished, she spotted Lily talking with Killian. Somehow seeing her friend take his side when all she needed was her support right now irked her.

Lily was _he_ r friend.

"We're ready!" She called. Lily looked over towards her, saying a few final words to her s- _to him,_ before returning to her. She whipped her eyes before storming ahead.

"Come on Emma, if we're running away then we may as well get on with it." She snapped, grabbing Henry's hand.

Emma didn't bother to try and decode why she was angry now. Lily would get over it, he always did. She was just too tired.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Lily however, didn't get over it, not after they traveled to each of the three villages, scoped them out, found one they all liked. Not after they built them a stone house and linked a new concealment spell over the place, tighter and more intricate than the last.

If she spoke to Emma, it was bitterly, disappointed. It got worse when Lily got letters from Regina. Whatever the two were talking about, it always seemed to get Lily angry at her.

It just made no sense to her. Did Lily really want her to forgive a man who was cheating on her? Who did not love her? What was the point of that?

"Why are you acting so cruel Lily?" She asked suddenly, finally reaching her breaking point. Mal had taken Henry out for some shopping. The two seemed to sense that something was amiss between them more than just their usual squabbles, always going out of their way to get away before they started. "I thought we made some sort of peace before? I thought-"

Lily's eyes flared. "Well you thought wrong. I just- I just can't believe you!" She seethed "You've made a lot of messed up choices since I've known you but this? How could you- How could you leave behind the man that you love?" She demanded.

"Killian? You're really defending him?" She snapped back. "Of course you'd take his side!" She snapped.

"Hell yeah I'm taking his side, he shouldn't have lied to you, sure, but he didn't deserve to just be left behind! He was so scared of your reaction, and instead of figuring something out, instead of fixing things-" She urged. "You ran away _. Like you always do_!"

Emma surged forward. "You're damn right I ran away!" She snapped. "But what right do you have to judge me? Have you ever been in love? Do you know what it's like to feel this way? Like someone ripped out your heart and _shattered it?_ " She demanded. "And then they put it back and now I'm walking around with these jagged pieces everywhere!" She screamed, the ground shook as her magic surged uncontrollably.

"You're right." Lily whispered, eyes widened suddenly. Emma raised her hand to her cheek, feeling furious tears streaming down, Emma wondered when they'd started. "I've never been in love." She whispered. "But I do know what love is, I feel it in my chest every day. What you two have, its _real_ , I just don't know why you can't fight for it."

"Because he doesn't love me. He proved it when he didn't just tell me the truth, I can't forgive him for this!" She roared angrily.

"For lying?" Lily asked in disbelief. It was only partly that, only partly the fact that he couldn't just tell her that while she was in a comma, or possibly before that, he'd fallen head over heels in love with the red head queen of the merry men. If he'd told her, she'd understand, she'd let him go, just like she'd tried to do when she mistakenly thought he was fated to be with Anna.

But that's not what he did. No, he'd lied let her build up these ideas in her head, a cabin like this one, maybe on an island with a boat, ship. His ship. Somewhere that Snow could never find them. They'd go on sailing trips often get supplies, she imagined so much for them…

"For making me fall in love, for believing in a happy ending just to rip it away." She said sadly. "Villains don't get happy endings, and he should have just left me to believe that! He shouldn't have made me think otherwise just to rip it away!" She crumbled onto one of the chairs in Lily's new house, head in her hands.

She couldn't get the image of them kissing, Killian and Zelena, it was disturbing, twisted, wicked.

"Emma." Lily said eyes fading, hand on her shoulder, then moving towards her face. "Look at me." She did.

"You deserve a happy ending." She said softly. "I'm sorry I was upset at you, you were right, I should have comforted you." Lily began. "I was jealous, I'm always a little jealous of you, you know that." She said with a chuckle. "You found love, not once, not twice, but three times, the first gave you Henry and now you had Killian, I just couldn't understand how you could walk away from it a second time." Her friend enveloped her into a hug. "As much as this hurts, the one thing I know without a shadow of a doubt is that a man isn't your happy ending." She insisted. "Family, family is your happy ending."

She smiled, before it faded and she found herself sobbing uncontrollably into Lily's shoulder as she soothed her.

"Lily?" She asked, parting, rubbing her eyes. "Can you help me with something?"

The brunette nodded. "Of course. Best friends forever remember?" She teased light heartedly.

"I remember." Emma said softly, a thought sudden;y occurring to her. _Family_. "How much do you know about lineage testing magic?"

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"Princess Leia!" exclaimed a voice.

She'd been in town two days, biding her time, just waiting.

"Milady Belle." She responded with a smile, taking her hand that was emphasized with the large diamond that made the woman quite proud. " _Lovely_ to see you again."

The brunette smiled and nodded, "I'm so sorry with how the night ended, The Dark One ruining all of our fun." She pouted. Emma held her polite smile.

"Those things can't be helped. I meant to return sooner, but my mother requested my presence home for a short bit." She explained.

"Alderaan correct?" Belle asked, smile widening a fraction. "I can't seem to find it in any of my maps." She mentioned carelessly.

Emma chuckled. "It's not usually on maps." She supplied. "Too small." Emma looked at the boy in Belle's company. He grinned. "Is that the birthday boy?" She asked.

Belle's eyes brightened as she picked up the boy. He looked over at Emma now that he was facing her.

"Youw Henwy's auntie!" He exclaimed. "Did you find his Mama?" Emma nodded.

"I did." She said softly.

"I'd be lost without my Mama, Daddy says that family is everything." He stated quickly. The boy seemed to have a boundless energy. He turned to Belle. "Can I go down now?" He asked. "You pwomised me cake!" He insisted.

"I will, I just have to run a quick errand sweetie." She said tapping his nose, making the blonde haired boy giggle.

"I can take him." Emma said suddenly, trying not to seem too hopeful. Belle looked at her, her smile wavering uncertainly.

"Please Mama! Pwetty please with lots and lots of chocolate on top?" The boy insisted, bouncing in place, hopeful green eyes.

Eyes that seemed to be capable of breaking anyone's will.

"Ok Sweetie, but stay close to Leia here alright?" He nodded squealing with delight before grabbing her hand. It was soft just like Henry's was at this age. He had that same chin as he did.

The boy chatted endlessly about anything from his favorite horses, to food to new things happening in his home.

"Mama's lady Clowinda left." He explained. "She's Mama's favowite but she's not sad." Emma snickered at his matter of fact-ness of his words. "She says that she's off having fun!"

Emma nodded. Emma remembered the woman, Clorinda, she'd been at the party, hanging off Belles every word, not that she was surprised.

(It was a common occurrence of ladies in waiting.)

"That's kind of your mother." She said with a grin, patting his gold locks. Emma couldn't help but compare the shade to her own.

"She got a pwesent too and it wasn't even her biwthday! Can I get a pwesent when it's not my biwth day?" Neal asked. Emma nodded as they arrived, buying him whichever one he'd like.

"Cupcake!" The boy squealed.

"Are you sure?" Emma asked. "Not one of the larger-" The boy shook his head.

"Cupcake!"

She bought him the cupcake, watching him messily eat it until his entire face was covered in yellow frosting. He giggled.

"Clowinda says that little things awe impowtant." He said with a knowing nod. "Like her present, it was teeny tiny!" She took a handkerchief, trying to clean him up as he tried to demonstrate with his hand.

"What was it?" She asked innocently. Emma didn't want to stop talking to the boy that was possibly her brother. She wanted to hear him laugh that same way her father did those few times she heard it.

"Six-leaf clovers." Emma stopped abruptly at his words.

A six leaf clover? Why would a lady in waiting get something like that? That was powerful magic. It gave her a bad feeling. If this was her little brother, than she wanted to make sure he wasn't in any danger, and despite her own dark magic, she didn't want him anywhere near anyone who used _Oz_ magic, it was nearly as bad as _Wonderland_ magic.

"Who gave her the present Neal?" She said softly.

"Papa."

* * *

Hopefully this chapter makes a bit of sense. It's hard sometimes to see if what makes sense in my head makes sense on paper. Let me know if clarification is needed.

I received a lot of reviews for that last chapter, which always makes me happy. Reviews keep me motivated.

On a side note, Freeing the Witch and The Purple Fairy were added to a Community, I just noticed now. I just find that funny.

I don't know if I mentioned this before, but The Purple Fairy will have 27 chapters and an Epilogue.

So Guest Reviews:

Anna: Sorry, not a dream. Just a necessary evil to get certain things to happen, certain discoveries to be made, etc. Neal will be important just nothing so direct as of now, but that is a pretty cute idea. I love Zelena too. I dropped massive hints this chapter. I'm looking forward to your speculating about it.

andria: Yeah, Emma might not know the same truth as I made it look.

Guest-who-mentioned-Lacy: You're close-ish (its not a dream though.)

Guest-who-loves-to-speculate: I absolutely love reading readers' speculation, it makes my day. I'm glad my little hint in my note got you curious. It means exactly what it sounds like, I won't make anything official until I get right to the end of this story. (Sorry, its not a dream)

I tend to give obvious nicknames to guests to distinguish them for when they read my replies.

Don't forget to review!

~Luna


	22. Chapter 22

Chapter 22

How to be Lost

She wasn't as gone as he thought, but the implications she sent were received loud and clear. He didn't say or try anything more. Whatever they'd meant to each other had crumbled so it left him only one thing to do.

He just stood outside of the tent, watching them pack up. Killian wasn't sure if he was here to punish himself or her, but regardless his position was causing someone pain and that's what he wanted.

 _I don't bloody remember how I told her the truth, but she knows. She knows and now she hates me._

Emma wouldn't meet his gaze no matter how long he stood. He was glad for it. He didn't want her to see him; he didn't want her to see through him, through the barely contained mask he wore. She'd destroyed the last one. Why had she bothered to fix him if she had no intention of sticking by him? She shouldn't have taught him to fight if she wouldn't even let him fight for the one thing he truly wanted.

Smee had been terrible, but Emma…what she had done was just cruel.

Henry, however, didn't mimic his mother. He could see the boy shooting him a confused gaze, almost pleadingly whenever his mother wasn't looking. He wanted him to stop this. He wanted him to keep his mother from running.

 _I wish I could lad. I wish I could_

Henry eventually stopped looking at him. He gave up. It felt like another jab at his heart.

Lily on the other hand went right up to him, placing a hand on his shoulder, surprising him slightly.

"It's going to be ok." She said softly. "She's upset; she'll come to her senses, this isn't the end." He shook his head.

"When? When I'm dead?" He said in a low voice. "I asked her to stay." He explained. "I freed her from her imprisonment; I helped her save her aunt. I killed someone for her, and I'd do it again, I helped her rescue you and your family. All I wanted was for her to stay." He tried to keep the anger from his voice, Lily didn't deserve it, Lily was Emma's friend, and she didn't want to hear his ranting. "And she won't. Don't try to convince her, it's too late." Her grip tightened.

"I'm so sorry Killian. I just…this isn't like her, it isn't something she'd do." She insisted. He shrugged, reaching into his coat pocket handing her the letter addressed to Henry, Ursula, Liam, his mother and even Emma's. "I wrote these. The first is for Henry, to keep a promise I made to him. He met Ursula, and she might approach him one day if she recognizes him, if she does could you-"

She nodded.

"You're a good man Killian, I'm going to try to find a cure." She vowed. "Between my mom's knowledge of the poison and my magic we might…" He shrugged.

"Doesn't really matter anymore." He said in defeat. "Just…take care of her. If she ever forgives me for my lies, tell her I'm not mad at her."

Lily raised a brow.

"But you are."

He nodded. "Tell her I'm not. Tell her I don't want her to feel guilty. Give her my letter when you think she needs it."

Lily looked like she wanted to say something, but they were interrupted.

"Lily! We're ready!" Emma snapped, glaring in their direction. He turned his back, Lily caught him before he could storm off, pressing another purple vial into his hand.

"Ask Gina to send me a letter if you start feeling sick ok? She knows how to reach me, but Emma says you were feeling ok this morning." He nodded.

"I took this morning's medicine already; I'll take this one when I'm feeling ill. Thank you for your care." Then he took the vial from her and proceeded down the path, before he could see them do the same in the other direction.

Killian finally understood why his brother drank so much when he was a lad. He didn't want to feel like this. He sat down against a tree and watched water in a lake flow.

That was where Regina found him, curled into a ball, that next morning. He must have fallen asleep. She looked surprised by his presence, asking him what happen, helping him back into a sitting position.

"They left." He supplied. "I thought it was the talk of camp." He said sarcastically.

"It is but…I thought you went with them, I was ready to chew you out over leaving without saying Goodbye to Roland." Killian shrugged.

"I haven't gone anywhere. I was hoping I could stay here for a while." He said only half dismissively. Zelena would be happy. She had wanted him to stay after all. She'd been right, everyone had been right.

Killian was a bloody idiot.

"If you must." She said sarcastically.

He didn't reply at first, picking at a stone on the ground, soft in his palm.

"What no comment about making me your friend? About me being pissed because you didn't say goodbye to me?" She asked. "You're usually more talkative."

He shrugged. "Can't make you think of me as an ally if you don't wish it." He said skipping the stone on the lake, it jumped once, twice, thrice, before plummeting. "I can't make anyone do anything they don't want to do." He muttered. "I've proved I bloody well can't make them stay." Killian couldn't help but just sigh with defeat.

"Killian. What happened?" Regina asked.

He chuckled. "Didn't peg you as a confident." He laughed darkly.

"I'm not, but I'm willing to make an exception for stubborn pirates." She said right back.

"She left because she didn't want to be with me anymore." He admitted. "She didn't want to ever see me again. "

Regine didn't ask why, she didn't have to.

"She left because I'm broken." He said honestly. "She was done with me. I served my purpose." He pulled his knees closer, wanting to disappear. "What did I expect? I'm nothing, everyone told me I was a fool for falling for her charms, I'm a bloody idiot" He told her honestly. "I just…" He wasn't sure what he wanted.

"Killian. Wait." She said, rushing off back to camp. She returned a bit later, a bottle tucked under her arm, handing it to him. "Drink." She ordered. He took a swig.

"Bloody hell, what is that." He cursed feeling the sharp sting.

"Whiskey, to think I'm drinking with the one pirate who doesn't know his liquor." She drawled. Killian snickered.

"I also can't hold my liquor darling." He admitted. "Only recently began …dabbled in the stuff."

She rolled her eyes. "What kind of pirate are you?!" She demanded.

"Only recently…acquired that title as well. I've been a deckhand for the last 15 years of my life."

She chuckled downing her own mouthful. "Cue the story, I was wondering why it was Deckhand and not pirate." Regina snickered. "So why 'pirate' at all?"

Killian tensed but then decided that he didn't have much to lose anyway. "My brother was a pirate." He explained. "He raised me. So when I reclaimed his ship…the choice was clear." Regina nodded. "I guess I just wanted to make him proud…" He murmured. He urged the bottle back.

She smirked. "Same with Zelena. She's looked out for me since we reunited." She explained. "We want to make this place better, take care of our subjects." That sounded noble. "Why was he a pirate, your brother?"

Yes, pirates, not exactly the best company for a former noble to be keeping.

"Our former rulers had our father killed, or more specifically their advisers." He told her. "I was just a lad, left on the streets." Her eyes widened. He had a sneaking suspicion she was thinking of her boy. "I became ill, on deaths door apparently. Then my elder brother found me, his friends were healers you see, they nursed me to health, but seeing how his family had been destroyed by the people he served faithfully, it broke him, my brother." He said sadly. "He became darker and darker, I loved him, he was always family to me, it was only later that I realized how much this betrayal hurt Liam, until I didn't even recognize him anymore."

Regina smiled sadly at him. "I'm guessing he passed during one of these pirate things?" He shrugged.

"Something like that." He said vaguely.

"I'm no longer cursed." She admitted. "It's what we've wanted for so long, I never thought it would ever happen." Regina insisted. "But when I tried to make Zelena take the cure, she refused, sidestepped me, dismissing me from important conversations, like my opinion didn't even matter. After everything we've suffered, after all our attempts to break this curse on our own..." The bandit clenched her fists. "So I get it, not understanding, not believing that your loved one could actually do something."

Killian shrugged. "I quite like this; we should do it some more." He said with a smirk, swallowing another bit of this vile whiskey.

"Sharing?" Regina asked as if he was offering to curt each others' hand's off. He cracked up laughing at her disgusted expression.

"Hell no. I mean _drinking._ " He laughed. She scowled at his laughter, snatching the bottle back.

"I think I may need to cut you off." She said suddenly. "And get you back to camp." Killian shrugged as Regina helped him up. He found his vision distorted and his steps weary.

"Hell Killian, when you said you were a light weight I didn't imgine-" She cursed as he nearly toppled. He laughed.

"I warned you lass. You can leave me here to sober up. Mates left me in worse places." He said darkly.

"Killian-"

He was still laughing. "Once they left me in the crows nest, how I didn't slip and fall to my death I'll never know, once it was to a stranger's care."

"Oh god Killian." Regina said in horror. "Did you-"

He shook his head. "They didn't know that I was already courting the lass when they allowed her to take me home."

"Please Killian, don't this is the whiskey-" He shook his head.

"Doesn't much matter what I tell you lass. I'll be dead soon enough." He told her as they neared camp. Another figure seemed to pick him up by the arms, following Regina's orders to set him up in a guest tent. He just shrugged.

"I'll be right back, _don't leave him alone."_ Regina told the figure. Killian shrugged.

"Won't matter lass." He said sadly as he passed out into a dreamless sleep.

XXXXXXXXX

Roland's chattering was what woke him up.

"Killy!" The boy exclaimed when he slowly opened his eyes. "Mama Gina said you were sleepy and I shouldn't bother you, but I really, really wanted to hear the rest of the story of the Purple Fairy!"

Killian groaned, closing his eyes, covering them with his arm

"Lad…" He started. "Not now." His head was throbbing.

"Please Killy? Are you sick?" The boy prodded his little hand slightly shaking his shoulder. "I can go get Auntie Lena to give you medicine. Its icky but it makes the yucky-ness go away."

Killian shook his head. "No Roland, I'm just tired." He said softly, looking at the wide eyed boy before sighing in defeat and sitting up. "Where did I leave off on my story?" The boy was as stubborn as his mother.

Roland grinned, chattering about leaving off on the Deckhand, Princess, and Thief entering the forest. "Ah, now we get to a good part." He stated. "Because suddenly as the trio was walking, an evil…dwarf grabbed the thief and tried to hurt him." Roland's eyes went wide.

"Oh no!"

Killian nodded, smirking at his captive audience. "Aye, as you can imagine, the Princess was very upset by the thought that her friend, the little thief, was threatened, but the Deckhand didn't want her to be rash, didn't want her to do anything she'd regret."

"Because killing is wrong." Roland said simply.

"Aye. The Deckhand tried to calm the situation, but the dwarf was …silly, making the Princess mad. The Deckhand feared that he would make the princess snap, but they were saved." He saw Roland's eyes widen.

"A…Bandit interrupted, shooting her arrows to get the dwarf to free the Thief. You see she was friends with the dwarf, but she agreed that he was being silly." Roland laughed.

"Was he ugly and smelly and mean?" Roland asked.

Killian was about to answer when he saw the opening of the tent opening to reveal Sydney's scowling face. "Gina told me you were still here." He said with a frown. "I thought she was telling a bad joke."

Killian held his gaze with a condescending smirk.

"Yes Roland, very." He said with a nod. It caused the boy to giggle and he didn't even know that said 'dwarf' was right in front of them.

"Sydney!" Zelena called, pulling him away from the tent. "Let him sleep, he's had a hard day."

Killian smiled thankfully as the man was pulled away, but it was unnecessary.

"I'm awake Zelena." He told her standing up, and exiting the tent, Roland at his side. "I assume Gina told you of my desire to stick around for the foreseeable future?" She nodded, hand on his shoulder.

"I'm so sorry." She said gently. "You deserve so much better." He didn't try to smile.

"I thought you'd be giving me a 'I told you so'." He remarked. "You told me she'd hurt me and so here I am." He said gesturing at himself. "Regardless, I was hoping to make myself useful while I'm here. I'm not much of a hunter, but I do know how to use a sword and-" Zelena shook her head.

"It doesn't matter what I thought, no one deserves to be in pain, especially that of the heart." Her hand rested on his shoulder. "Things will get better, I promise, I, We can help you through this." She promised.

Killian didn't reply. She retracted her hand.

"If you really want to be useful, you should really put those hands to good use." She teased, coming closer, taking his hand in hers, softly turning his hand over.

He blinked in confusion, "Not many can make a half way decent stitch, and I'm guessing that's not all your lady friend taught you? I can use a hand with some of my patients." Zelena continued.

Killian grimaced, he wasn't actually found of blood, or injuries; he just knew how to keep from dying. He also wasn't completely oblivious. She'd made her intentions known, and so he could easily imagine this being used as a way to spend time together. But this wasn't his place to say."If you think that best." He relented.

He started following Zelena to her tent when Regina stopped him. "Killian, you're with me. Patrolling." She said simply, intercepting him quickly.

Zelena scowled. "Gina, Killy dear is going to help me take care of the injured." She said, hand placed on his arm. Killian sees a vein bulging on Regina's face.

"Just go take Sydney with you."

It bulges further.

"I'll go with her." Killian says pulling away. He wasn't an idiot, Regina had told her she wasn't getting along with her of the late. It was easier to make one sister mad at him, than both mad at each other.

(It had nothing to do with the fact that Regina could shoot him from clear across camp without breaking a sweat, no nothing at all)

"I could use the exercise." He chuckled.

Regina smirked triumphantly as they exited the camp.

"So, what are we really doing?" Killian asked. She narrowed her gaze at him. "I know a cover story when I hear one." Regina snickered.

"I'm doing patrol." She insisted. "You're here to tell me what you meant before."

Killian shrugged. "Well you see, a cover story is when you tell someone you're doing-"

Regina shot an arrow which he barely dodged. "Bloody hell woman! I thought we were done with that!" He snapped.

"Roland likes you." She said as if it offers all the explanation she needed, making a turn towards one of the main roads. "If you're planning to off yourself than I want to get Roland used to the idea that Killy is gone." She snapped. "I don't want him to think his hero is a coward."

He stopped in his tracks, grabbing her arm and pulling her to face him. He felt her tense at this sudden movement. She pushed him back almost instinctively.

"What the hell are you-

"I'm not a coward." He snarled angrily. He _was_ a coward, but he wasn't anymore. That was the only good thing out of all this, he was stronger, braver, he would do what he needed to do to protect his love, his friends. He was _not_ a coward. "I'm dying."

Her eyes widened as she looked him over. "Poison." He clarified. "Lily said I have a few weeks." He admitted. Regina covered her mouth in a gasp. "That's why Swan left." He said, the words flowing suddenly. "She didn't want to watch it happen."

Regina shook her head. "You don't have to tell-" He nodded. He did, he really did.

"You have a right to know. You're right, your lad likes me, and I quite like him as well, you should keep him away from me, we don't want him to get attached." He reasoned. "You either, as it happens. I'm sorry that I made you be my friend." He said backing away. She was looking at him with that controlled way one would look at a frightened animal.

"I'll just get my things and-"

"I'm not." Regina said suddenly. "Sorry I mean. And you are not going anywhere pirate." She said sternly, arms crossed. "And Emma is worse than an idiot." She seethed. "Only scum does something like that, do you understand?" She snapped angrily. "Scum."

He blinked at her sudden anger. "If Dan- someone I once lov-, trusted." She corrected. "If I had known what would eventually happen, that he would die, I would have spent every second with him that I had. Every single second."

He gave her a sad grin. "Aye." So would he.

They lapsed into silence, continuing with the patrol. He had a vague idea of the area they were checking, but wondered how she could navigate so well, every bloody tree looked the same to him.

"Are you just going to drop dead one day?" Regina asked. "You know, just so I won't trip on your rotting corpse one morning."

He paused, wondering if she'd really said that.

She did.

"Bloody Hell, do you have a sensitive bone in your body?" He asked with a chuckle.

"If you want sensitive, there are a few pregnant mothers who would shed a few tears for your story."

He actually laughed. "No lass, I'm not going to drop dead." He reasoned. "I'll get dizzy spells, tired, pale and flushed. I'll get nauseous and won't eat or sleep for a bit." He explained. "The burn will spread from the sight of infection to my heart." He grinned. " _Then_ I'll drop dead. Don't worry lass, I'll try not to die where you take your morning walks."

Regina rolled her eyes. "I guess I'm going to have to suffer through your complaining then, wait on you hand and foot?" She said with humor. "I don't give foot rubs."

Killian was laughing again. "Just your sunny disposition is enough, and perhaps more of that Whiskey stuff."

That got her grinning.

"Thank you Regina." He said softly. "I needed this." She rolled her eyes.

"Don't get all sappy on me now, I just figured you shouldn't be brooding while Zelena wipes the tears of a couple of brats with a cold." She snickered. "Come one, we still have ground to cover." She ordered.

"Of course _your majesty_ , your wish is my command."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

The days passed quickly, Killian found himself split between patrolling with Regina, and helping out Zelena in camp. He enjoyed keeping busy, and helping Zelena wasn't as bad as he once thought. The woman was very nice and eager to make him comfortable. He tried to dissuade her affections as politely as possible, but she was growing more and more bold with her actions.

However, he always preferred the patrolling, while it made him exhausted, it allowed him to get the lay of the land, see how the camp worked a bit better. There were some who were mostly hunters, not having the stomach for hurting a living person. Others were a bit more…selfish, they would be the ones who'd raid villages for their magic and gold.

"Only the rich." Regina specified. "We need the money to fund the coup." She explained. "The magic is to find something to even the playing field." She wanted something to neutralize the queen's magic.

It also seemed to give Regina time to express her frustrations about her sister.

"She's been letting Sydney push her around!" She fumed one morning. "My sister never lets any man push her around before, but now she's hanging on his every word!"

He nodded passively. Killian had seen the man hanging around the red head a lot more recently, getting louder and louder with his declarations about how things should be done.

"Misthaven is going to be worse off we we listen to him, talking about such archaic rules!"

Rules?

"If the perve comes near Roland or I, I swear Killina, he's getting one right between the eyes."

Killian chuckled. "And I'll gladly assist you with hiding the evidence lass, but what rules are you talking about?"

Regina groaned. "I forget that you're not exactly from here." She said slowly. "For the last century, the eldest son of the king has taken over the thrown." She explained. "Because men make better rulers." She said sarcastically. "Before that there was a rule that a woman decedent can not be queen with out a ring on her finger and a man at her side."

Killian had not heard of that. In his ex kingdom, it didn't matter the gender of the heirs, it was only blood that mattered.

"Queen Snow was the first exception. With her father's blessing she took the thrown as the only female of Misthaven in history to be unwed." For a second, Killian could hear an ounce of respect in Regina's voice for the Queen. "Zelena never cared about that rule, never even gave it a passing thought. I brought it up once, years ago and she told me that it wouldn't stop her."

It looked like things have changed since then if Regina was bringing it up now.

"I'm on your side Regina, if there was a way I could help-" She shook her head. There was nothing he could do and they both knew it.

XXXXXX

However, no matter what he did during the day, a certain little boy had managed to create a certain tradition in camp. Just as the sun would set, Killian would hear a single voice.

"Story time with Killy!" Roland exclaimed as he tackled his leg. It would always make him chuckle. He couldn't refuse the boy, sometimes telling stories his brother told him as a lad, other times continuing 'The Purple Fairy'

(The latter was the lad's favorite)

It amazed him how excited he got listening, and not just him, most of the children as well as some parents gathered to listen. He did his best to sound as animated as possible, it was getting more difficult.

"After the ball, the Deckhand was rescued by another princess, one who was enamored by the Thief, she planned to escape with them but the Evil Queen's guards captured her."

He heard a chuckle, and it wasn't a good humored one. He looked up, Sydney was eyeing him.

"What happened to the girl?" He asked. It made Killian tense.

"It will be revealed later." He said cryptically. Dead children weren't really the best plot point for smaller, living, children. The man rolled his eyes. Killian returned to the story until the parents, seeing their sleepy children shepherded them to their beds, Regina included.

"Killian." Zelena greeted in a sad voice. He narrowed his eyes, she wasn't usually one to keep a sad expression on. "You need to go to sleep too." He scoffed.

"I'm not a child." He said sternly.

"The camp is going to have a meeting, some of them don't want you here; they don't see you as part of our cause…yet." He nodded, understanding. It wasn't his business anyway, and he was exhausted.

"Good luck." He told her. "I'll stay out of your way."

He must have fallen asleep as soon as he hit his tent bed, because the next thing he knew he heard shouting, rousing him from his slumber.

" _I'm not doing it! I'm not marrying him, I'm not marrying anyone!"_ He jolted awake.

" _Then your sister must! We cannot keep trying to get an unmarried woman onto the thrown! It's pointless!"_ A man shouted back, he could hear the murmuring agreements.

Killian rolled over, poking his head out to see what was happening. Zelena was standing behind Regina who was standing close to the offending man. It didn't surprise him when he noticed that it was Sydney with his gang of cohorts doing the shouting, edging closer to the two.

"Well none of you have an inkling of royal blood." Regina snarled. "Touch me or my sister Sydney, just try it. Try and force us to marry you. Marriage is for love, not for convenience."

She could hear the condescending laugh echo throughout the camp. He knew that laugh, that laugh that said that one of these two was going to be forced to do otherwise. It was a terrible waste of such kind women.

Some were nervous, but it appeared that Regina was right to be worried earlier, Sydney was aining more power, too much power. He wished he could help his friend.

 _No unmarried…does that count…widowed?_

"You have till tomorrow to decide who will be wed, and to who." He leered at Regina. "Pick carefully sweetie." He touched her arm.

She socked him in the jaw.

"Gina!" Zelena exclaimed reeling in her sister. Killian could hear arguements between the pair, Regina claiming that they had no right to make demands, that without them, there was no hope to take over peacefully.

"I'm sorry Gina but if we want to save everyone we must make a choice." She reasoned. "Sometimes love isn't enough."

 _Could he offer to…it wasn't like he had much more to offer._

 _It was crazy._

"I'm not marrying him!" She screamed angrily. "You know what I lost, you know that I can't dishonor him by marrying this pig!"

It didn't seem like either Zelena or Sydney were listening to her.

 _Bloody mad idea. They would never agree to this, he was a practical stranger, regardless of everything, they had no proof that he wasn't a spy or plotting this all along._

Killian waited until the meeting was ending, seeing Regina pass by, her eyes looked faded rather than fiery, and her face was red.

"Gina." He hissed. She stopped short.

"Killian? What are you doing up, you weren't supposed to-" She looked nervous, she was shaking. The lass was really afraid of this.

"In the morning, we need to talk." She shook her head.

"Killian I-"

"I think I know a solution to your problem." He insisted. Her eyes widened. Regina was smart and she knew about his situation, "And I'm guessing you do too." she nods looking at him sadly.

"This isn't your fight." She said softly.

"But it is my choice if you think it could work." He countered. "If you think she'll agree." Regina kept her face neutral as she walked by. He knows that she thinks it could work, he knows she hates this whole situation that would make him do this.

Killian lies back down, trying to go back to sleep.

Sleep, to dream of the future he should have had with Emma, to pretend he wasn't going to do what he was about to do.

 _If being a widow actually counted for their bloody laws at least._

Killian shivers as the truth of what he was about to do dawns on him.

 _He was going to marry Zelena._

* * *

Sorry for the angst, a necessary evil for certain things to occur. The pay off is coming, just have a little faith in both me and our favorite couple.

This section of the story was completely rewritten at least 3 times, I'm hoping it turned out ok.

Now I got so many reviews, that it makes me so incredibly happy. Thank you so much for all your kind words, I appreciate it so much!

Guest Reviews:

andria: You're pretty close, but there may be one or two more surprises for you before this story is done.

Anna: I would say some of your speculation so pretty close, but other parts aren't. Although if ANYONE guessed my biggest twist I would be beyond shocked...I love Lily, I've actually surprised myself with Lily's character. That was not the original plan. I'm glad you like her interactions with Emma. As for their misunderstanding, soon.

Clear: It needs to be read in order, I try my best to put in background info, but I will forget stuff. I'm glad you liked the first one as well and that things make more sense now. I actually dabbled with that idea for a bit, but didn't want to mess up with the pronouns. I commend writers who can manage the 'past version vs current version' stuff. Its difficult. But I think there will still be a bit of fun still to be had.

Don't forget to leave a review!

~Luna


	23. Chapter 23

Chapter 23

It's Snowing

 _"I'm sorry Emma I can't be associating with the likes of you. I'm king now I don't have time for you Emma."_

 _She blinked in confusion. Killian was there staring at her with this dismissive look. She shook her head._

 _"Killian, please, I'm back, I'm ready to fight for you!" Emma said, grabbing his arm pleading for him too look at her, to leave with her. She could't lose Killian, not after everything they've been through._

 _"I love her Emma. I love her, not you." He said avoiding her gaze. "How could I possibly love_ you _?"_

 _She flinched, feeling her world coming apart. "Killy sweetie!" Called a voice, entering the room. Emma looked up seeing Zelena dressed in the finest silks and jewels. Killian stood, smiling at her brightly, passing her by._

 _"Zelena, my love." He greeted embracing her, pressing his lips to hers. They caused a halo of rainbow light to kock the wind out of her, True Love's Kiss._

 _No. This wasn't happening._

 _"The baby kicked." She said softly grabbing his hand and placing it on her enlarged stomach._

 _"No Killian. No. This can't be happening." She pleaded. "Come away with me, please you're my happy ending!" She screamed._

 _"Oh darling. Our child. Our child." He breathed not looking at her, not even hearing her, kissing Zelena again._

 _"Get away from him!" Emma snarled._

 _"Darling. You said you would deal with the Dark One." Zelena reminded him, tucked behind him._

 _He looked towards her, eyes void of all kindness. "Ah yes. Guards! Take her away."_

 _She looked around, seeing guards appear at each side, her wrists were bound in chains, they were dragging her away._

 _"Killian! No! Don't do this!" She pleaded. "Don't leave me!"_

 _He looked her, really looked at her. "You left first."_

 _And he was gone._

Emma woke up screaming. She was crying, sobbing, pleading for this not to be happening. She knew it was a dream, but could see how easily it could happen.

She remembered the heartbreak evident in his eyes. He begged her not to go. It was bothering her, if he was in love, why didn't he want her to leave? Why did he seem to need her to stay?

Maybe she should have asked that then, because now it was too late. He had his happy ending, and it wasn't her. She hoped one day she could get a little bit of peace from knowing that he was happy, even if it was without her.

She lifted the vial in her hand, there was one long blonde hair, curling slightly in the light blue liquid as well as a few shorter blonde ones. It was undeniable.

Neal was her brother.

She just didn't understand how that was possible. Snow had said she'd killed him! Had she given him up? Was she ashamed at having a normal baby boy? If so, why visit him on his birthday? Why give him her gifts? If she was really ashamed and wanted no connection to him, why visit him at all. It was the same as her visiting Henry, masquerading as a distant aunt.

There was only one person who could answer her questions.

Emma stood, dusted herself off, looking up at the castle that loomed over her. She may have lost Killian, but Emma would find her happy ending, and it started with the truth about her family.

Emma snapped her fingers, changing her attire from the faded red dress she wore with Belle and Neal to something a bit darker. Her black leather crocodile skinned clothes would do just fine. It went well with her long hair tied in a tight pony tail. Today wasn't the time for being nice, for pleading to their humanity, her parents had none.

Another snap and Emma wasn't alone in a grassy field, she was outside the throne room.

Emma stepped forward, throwing the double doors open in a massive boom of dark magic. She looked around at the people previously discussing things with her mother, were now silent, watching her with wide eyed terror.

But no one moved.

That bothered her.

"Out! All of you!" She snarled, grabbing the nearest person, plunging her hand in their chest, making them cry out in agony. "I would like a word with my mother. If you value your heart don't make me wait." She snapped dropping the man to the floor, heart intact.

Within seconds the room was empty, empty save for her parents.

She looked up, watched her mother's cold expression.

"I should kill you." Emma snarled. "The only thing keeping me from doing that before now was my belief that I could still save my father." She glared at the man. "But it's obviously that he doesn't want saving."

He didn't flinch. Emma turned back towards her mother, stalking her way towards her.

"Then why haven't you?" Snow asked.

"Because I want the truth." She snapped back. "Who are my real parents?"

Snow's expression faltered. "I am. We are." She said, and Emma could detect no lie.

"Then explain this!" She snapped, she closed her eyes, concentrating. Her hands flickered with light for a split second before fading. "Light magic! How do I have light magic?" Her mother exchanged a look with the huntsman. A desperate look.

"I- They-" She stammered. For once the Queen is at a loss for words.

"Snow. She has to know. We can't keep hiding the truth from her." The huntsman said suddenly stepping forward, hand on her shoulder. "Cast the spell." It was the first time she saw him even touch her mother.

Emma looked between them, some hidden understanding passing between them. She'd never seen it before, never seen them like this before.

"Ok." Snow said in a single breath, hand glowing brightly, before a purple glow flashed around her, Emma didn't recognize the spell. "Emma, I am your mother." She insisted, but her voice isn't cold, it's pleading.

"And I am your father." The Huntsman said sternly, empty face filling with the love Emma remembered, it made her recoil. "But I'm not being controlled; I haven't been for a while, since before you were born. I'm here out of my own free will."

She shook her head, she'd seen his heart out of his chest; hear her mother ordering him around. She'd seen the dead look on his face.

"I gave her my heart because it's the only way she can feel anything. We share it." He explained. "Just not in the traditional sense."

No. If they share a heart….

"Emma. The reason that you have light magic is that we're true loves." Snow said in a small voice. She stands, walking down the steps towards her.

No. No. She wasn't….

"Then why." She asked. " _Why did you do this to me? Why have you hated me? Used me? Hurt me? Turned me into a monster!"_ She screamed, the windows shattering due to her uncontrollable emotions. Her mother was coming closer, her eyes glassy, filling with tears. _Real tears_.

"Emma-" She shook her head, not giving them a chance. This was a lie, a trick, a way to hurt her.

"I loved you daddy! I loved you so much! And you're saying you had your own heart? Made your own choices? You stabbed me!" She shrieked in agony pointing at him. He looked at her sadly before looking away guiltily.

"Someone has my heart and made me do all those terrible things." Her mother said in a weak voice. "Charming hurt you because it was the only way to convince her not to kill me for failing her."

Emma detected no lie, but the broken look of her mother, hand hanging in shame struck a nerve in her heart. She didn't understand, couldn't understand.

"Who?" She asked gently. She didn't believe her, not yet, but if she was telling the truth…then Emma had some serious work to do, and thinking to do. She didn't know what she'd do if it was truth, if her parents were being controlled for the last 28 plus years. If every interaction she's ever had from them had been a lie.

They shook their heads. "We can't say. She'll know." Her father said, closing the distance between him, and her mother. She watched her father sweep her mother into his arms, hold her close, as her mother seemed on the verge of a breakdown, whispering quiet shushing sounds.

It looked too much like how Killian held her when she'd seen Snow.

Emma had never seen her like this, not ever. They seemed human all of a sudden. They seemed like her parents. Parents who know they've failed their child, children, and didn't know how to fix it. People helpless to fix it, stuck in the dark for so long…

"Why turn me into the Dark One?" She asked.

Her parents exchanged a look. "A prophecy. One she feared desperately. It said that the child of the Dark One and a child of True Love would bring about her ruin, they would stop her plans." She swallowed.

"So when she learned I was a child of true love, she had you turn me into the Dark One. Had you make me miserable. Make me unlovable." She breathed in realization. The Dark One and a child of True Love could not have a child if the two were one and the same.

"Please Emma, please believe us, we're trying our best to keep you safe, she wanted us to kill you, but we couldn't you're _our_ daughter." The Huntsman said desperately. "Trapping you was the _only_ way to keep you safe."

Tears streaming down Emma's face. They sent her away when they could no longer control her so they wouldn't have to kill her. In their own twisted way, they were giving Emma her best chance.

"I believe you." She whispered. "I truly do."

The look on her mother's face was pure love and joy, the face she once wished on every star to see once upon a time. "I'm going to fix this." She promised. "I will. I'll get your heart back mother. No one deserves to be heartless." She insisted. "But you don't have to worry about me falling in love; my true love picked someone else."

Her mother moved from her father's side and tentatively closed the distance between them. Emma allowed her. She allowed her mother to hug her, wrap her arms around her shoulders and just exist.

At 28, Emma received her first hug from her mother.

Her father went to a mirror, picking up a tree branch as mother and daughter parted. She looked at her strangely, but her mother's face brightened. "The tree." She gasped. "Yes, yes, I almost forgot." She said happily. He did, placing a long branch in her grasp.

"It's from an enchanted tree. Burn it and give it some direction and you'll find your way wherever you want to go, just in case she comes for you, in case you need to run to another realm." She explained. "I love you Emma. You're my daughter. I've always loved you and I always will"

She nodded. "Thank you. I promise. I'll take care of this; I'll come back for you." She vowed quickly, seeing the way her mother swayed. Whatever the spell she'd learned to block this woman from listening in on her heart, it was taking a toll on her.

"Charming." Snow hissed, gripping The Huntsman's arm in pain. He shushed her, cupping her face, kissing her gently, helping her back into her thrown. Whatever spell had momentarily blocked the hold on Snow's heart was fading.

"Next time we meet, we have to pretend you don't know this, any of this. We have to be villains." Snow said. "Stay safe."

Emma nodded, but added a final word. "He's happy." She assured them. "You know who."

Her parents didn't smile, back under their cursed personas.

Emma snapped her fingers disappearing. She had a _lot_ to think about.

XXXXXXXXXXXXX

 _"Come on Killian, back to bed." Said a voice. Emma looked around, seeing Regina hauling a struggling Killian. He was stumbling, leaning heavily on the bandit._

 _"Killian!" Emma called. He was muttering incoherently clutching onto Regina as she led him back into his tent. She didn't know what was happening, just that Killian was in bad shape. Emma followed, not quite understanding._

 _"I'm fine." He slurred as Regina put him to bed. She smiled at him kindly._

 _"You must have hit your head, pirate, if you think I'll buy that. I can't take you anywhere can I?" Regina jested._

 _Emma got a better look at him, he was shivering, paper white, breathing deeply. Regina was holding his hand and he was clutching hers, but it didn't look like his grip was too strong._

 _"You'd miss me on your patrols." He teased eyes closing. Emma went to his side, trying to hold his other hand but she slipped right through. She tried again, resting her hand just above his skin._

 _Blue eyes snapped open at her touch. "Swan." A sleepy grin on his face, eyes clouded with pain. "No hallucin..hallucinations last time." he said face tense in confusion. "Am I dreaming?" She smiled at him, running her hand against his cheek._

 _"Why are you so sick?" She whispered. Emma thought it was the secret that had been weighing on him. She thought that now that she knew, Killian would be enjoying his happy ending, not shivering in the forest._

 _"Not sick." He said stubbornly. Even in a dream, Emma knew when he was lying._

 _"Killian? Are you talking to someone?" Regina asked. He nodded; face easing as he took a long blink._

 _"Princess…Can I have this dance?" Emma forced back a sob at just how wrecked he was. How had this happened? Zelena was supposed to be taking care of him! He was supposed to be living a full life! As much as his betrayal hurt, she never wanted this._

 _"Of course Killian." Emma said simply._

 _"Oh no, he's delirious." Regina complained dryly, but Emma could see her panic beneath her sass._

 _"Good." Killian sighed nodding off._

 _Regina gasped standing up. "It's going to be ok, I'm going to get Zelena, she'll find something for you, something to make you feel better. One of Lily's potions maybe?" She said fleeing the tent._

 _"What happened Killian?" Emma pleaded. "She was supposed to take care of you." He didn't answer._

 _Zelena stormed in moments later without Regina. Emma breathed a sigh of relief, regardless of her feeling for the healer, she loved him, she would take care of him, make him better, make him healthy._

 _"Having trouble thinking straight Killian darling?" Emma blinked at her tone. "Having trouble catching your breath? How about coordination? What? That going too?" She mocked. "Never thought I'd get this lucky."_

 _What the-_

 _"You shouldn't have gone off walking with Gina this should have you stuck in camp with me for a bit." She taunted, moving her hands into his pocket, pulling out a purple vial. It looked identical to what Lily had given her. With ease she uncapped it and poured all of it onto the ground, much to her horror._

 _"Can't have her convincing you to go after the Dark One can we? Or filling your head with ridiculous thoughts." She watched Killian shiver._

 _Zelena didn't love him. She didn't care for him. Emma knew love, she'd seen it, envied it. There was no love in her condescending tone._

 _"You witch!" Emma screamed, lunging for her. She was going to kill the witch! Emma went right through her._

 _"It'll be ok darling. Just listen to me and all will be well." She said, rubbing a thumb along his lips. They were pale as he gasped suddenly for breath,_

 _"Don't touch him!" He stirred, waking up blindly, coughing violently. Zelena wrapped herself around him, handing him a handkerchief to cough into. She rubbed his back saying soothing lies before Killian moaned Emma's name and was out again._

 _"Killian!"_

 _She wouldn't let this stand, she wouldn't let him be manipulated and used. She wouldn't let this woman, this witch who'd somehow conned him, break him, kill him._

 _"I'm coming for you." She whispered, feeling herself fading. She raised her head, glaring at the red head who couldn't see her._

"I'm coming for you too."

 _XXXXXXXXXX_

"Emma!" Cried a voice. Emma startled awake. She looked up seeing Lily leaning over her, with a worried expression.

She shot up gasping for breath.

"You fell asleep again." Lily said worriedly. "You just showed up here and fell asleep."

Emma gave a weak smile looking around. She was in a bed in a bare room in Lily's brick house.

"How did I get here?" She asked in a daze.

Lily crossed her arms. "That doesn't matter, what matters is you, what the hell Emma?" She asked. "You tell me that we all have to leave, you ask me for a blood testing potion, and then poof you're gone! Without even a goodbye to Henry! Now I'm getting more and more letters about Killian from Regina! And instead of going there and being with him, you're here! Sleeping! It doesn't make sense!"

Emma sighed, curling up. She had to think, what to do, how to tell him that his love was poisoning him.

"Emma. I know being helpless sucks, I know you're scared but Killian needs you right now." Lily insisted.

 _Killian needs her._

"I saw him. Killian, I did that weird dream thing we do. Zelena, she's poisoning him." Emma insisted, tears building in her eyes. "You should see him Lily, he's pale and dizzy and weak and-"

It had to be Zelena there was no other explanation.

"And probably not eating and sleeping, maybe a little disoriented." Lily listed. "I know." She crossed her arms. "I thought you didn't care?"

She blinked. She would _always_ care. Emma never stopped caring for her sailor.

There wasn't a _world_ , a _universe_ , a _reality_ that Emma Swan didn't care about Killian Jones.

"How do you know? And of course I care; I just want him to be happy, not sick." She knew because of her dream, their weird ability to dream appear to the other in times of need. How exactly had Lily known? Surely she would have roasted the witch if she'd known before they left.

Lily looked at her confused. "I told you, I found out, stumbled on him-" She snaps her eyes closed, not wanting to hear details of Killian and Zelena.

"Me too…It made me sick." She admitted. Now it was Lily who looked confused.

"You saw him fall unconscious too?" She clarified. "That made you sick? I mean it's a scary sight but-"

 _Unconscious?_

"Lily wait, back up. I think we're having a serious communication error." Emma admitted shaking her head and palms. "I caught Killian kissing Zelena. He told her he loved her, they were true loves and I just…I ran. I couldn't take him letting me down easy or sneaking around with her."

One second. Two seconds. Three.

"That WITCH!" Lily roared. Her eyes were glowing a violent green. Emma swore she even saw scales spotting on her hands before she took a calming breath. "That's why you left? You thought he was cheating on you? With HER? True love with HER?" Emma nodded.

"Emma, Killian was a _mess_ when you were hurt. The only person he was cheating was himself out of his own rest. You were asleep for THREE days, not 300 years." Lily insisted. "Even then I doubt he could love anyone more than you. I don't know what you saw, but it was definitely not-" She stopped. "Then you don't know." She said interrupting her rapid fire. "You _really_ don't know…"

"Know what?" She asked. What was going on with her sailor? "Will someone just tell me what's going on?" She was really getting tired of this. "Why is Zelena making him sick? What's wrong? What is this secret that keeps Killian from telling me how he really feels? What is it that makes you look sad when I talk about him? If he's not with Zelena why did you think I left? What made you so angry that you were on his side?" She ranted, pacing back and forth.

Somehow, even while not knowing, Emma knew. _She knew_.

He didn't want to tell her. He didn't want to ruin the peace. Peace that would shatter if he d- if he was dy-

Lily said handing her a letter. "I think you should read it. I think you should hear it from him."

He was pale before, possibly in pain, how could she not realize, how could she think…

She saw her name on the top. It was in Killian's writing. He wrote her a letter. The only reason he would write her a letter would be if he knew something would separate them.

 _Ever the gentleman_

She opened it.

 _My love, Emma._

 _I've written this letter a dozen times._

 _But if you're reading this…I'm gone._

 _I'm dead._

 _I write this now to explain to you what happen. I told you what I used to think true about my time in Neverland. I told you how the Jabberwocky stirred dormant memories, sealed memories. It was then I found out…I learned that my time with you was greatly limited. By then I'd already fallen for you my beautiful Dark Swan._

 _Fifteen years ago, believing that a deadly poison was actually a mythic cure, Liam poisoned himself to prove a point to his stubborn younger brother. I was able to give him the cure, but it had a price, he could never leave Neverland, we could be together stay together until the end of the world, but Liam wasn't happy about that. It wasn't enough for him. He had someone to return to you see, no one I knew according to him, but he tried to barter for an escape with the leader of the island. I was young, but I remember them being a true demon._

 _The two, my brother and the demon, they came up with a solution. They wanted me to rid Neverland of an enemy. They wanted me to kill someone._

 _I tried, I really did Swan. But I just couldn't do it. I don't regret that. I don't regret not killing the boy, the child, but if I had, things would have been so different._

 _Because soon after, my brother made a second deal, I urged him not to. I thought we could be happy on the island, just the two of us, it was not ideal, but I firmly believed that it wouldn't be so bad. Liam didn't listen. He told the demon that if a price must be paid, then surely they could decide who? He had not chosen to drink from the spring, it was not him who in desperation, proclaimed that they would pay any price._

 _It was me._

 _The demon cursed my brother and I, sealing my memories of these events, and sent me off the island oblivious to the fact that the day I turned the same age of my brother…I would bear his curse, I would die of the dreamshade poison._

 _And Liam would be free._

Emma couldn't help but gasp. There was still another page to read, but she couldn't do it, not yet. She couldn't help but remember the loving way he thought of his brother until he killed Hans, until he learned something dreadful. She just never imagined this. She didn't imagine he could be dying in such a terrible way. He was suffering.

"Is it true? Is Killian really dying? Is there nothing I can do?" She pleaded. Lily shook her head.

"Nothing in this realm can save him, not even the most powerful light magic. Mine could only post pone the inevitable."

Postpone? That meant that he was already out of time.

"What about that purple potion?"

Lily's somber expression fell further. "It's for the pain. This poison, its not a quick and painless death Emma."

 _I'm alright Swan; I'm not in any pain. I promise._

"It's really bad isn't it." She asked, her voice sounding terrified. Lily nodded.

"I tried to help with my magic, but my mother says that it's only going to make it worse in the long run, the longer he tries to fight it, the worse it'll be. You need to go back." She said sternly. "He needs you. He was so heartbroken when he thought- he thinks-"

She gasped. "He thinks I left him to die." She says in a gasp. "He thinks I don't care for him, that I don't love him, I didn't. I wouldn't!" She insisted, shaking in agony. She can just imagine what he was going through, weakening and all alone. Killian had been all alone for so long, that was the last thing she wanted for him. She thought he was happy, thought it was for the best.

Lily's holding her now, holding her still. "He doesn't know that." Lily insisted. "Tell him. Save him. If anyone can do it, if anyone can transcend realms to save the man she loves it's-" Lily's interrupted.

"Mom!" Its Henry, rushing in with a letter held tightly in his grasp. He stops short. "Moms! Its Gina. She sent another letter. I know I'm not supposed to peak but Diablo ripped the letter and I just." He takes a breath, handing it to Emma rather than Lily. "You need to see this." Henry's expression is unwavering, Emma can even feel the raven on his shoulder, Diablo, staring her down with it's amber eyes.

(Mal's bird always did hate her)

Emma opened it. She scanned Regina and Lily's exchange of child rearing things. She skipped right to where the bandit's hand writing looked rushed, frantic even, near the end, as if she'd adding it hastily.

 _Lily, if you can contact Emma, do it. Now._

 _It's about Killian, I promised I would tell you how he's doing but…I can't…I can't talk him out of this. He's going to marry Zelena. He doesn't want to; he loves Emma, even if she doesn't deserve it. But he wants to help us, some of the idiots my sister insists on respecting tried to strong arm us into marrying one of them._

 _There are other ways out of this, but Killian is stubborn, he told me about his condition and he wants us to use it to marry, before he dies, to use his name for our benefit. My fool of a sister is letting him; I can't talk them out of it. I don't want to build my future on my friend's blood. I won't. There must be a way to save him._

 _It's only been a few days since the announcement and Killian, he's not doing well, he said he had a few weeks but he's getting really sick, really fast._

 _He's given up hope Lily. He's content to die. I don't know much about magic, but Iknow about giving up hope and if he doesn't find some soon he will die._

 _As much as the thought of taking back someone who hurt you is repulsive, I think seeing her would do him good. Judging by the rate he's going, the marriage will happen soon, please find Emma, get her to stop this atrocity._

 _She's the only one who can._

"He's marrying her." Emma repeated. "That's what this is about. That's what this whole thing has been about."

Getting rid of her, conning Killian into agreeing to this marriage, then when he died…

If Zelena was smart, she could try to spin this as a ploy by her mother, vengeance or some nonsense, it would make Emma stop at nothing for vengeance, there was nothing better than putting the family of her worse enemy on the thrown.

 _"_ What?! Why!" Lily exclaimed, handing her over the note. She read it quickly.

"Because he believes in good form." Henry replied. "Good form states that you always help a damsel in distress."

Oh Zelena was going to be distressed when Emma was done with her. She would be real distressed without her lying tongue!

"Are you sending Killian more of these purple things?" She asked. The brunette nodded. "Zelena's been stealing them, dumping them."

Lily's eyes went wide. "That's…that's just evil." She explained.

"If she thinks she can have him. If she thinks for a minute, that I'm going to let her get away with this then she has another thing coming, I'm going to wipe the smug look off her sorry face! I'm going to go and get _my Killian_ back." She proclaimed, even if he never looked at her again. "I can save him Lily, I know I can."

Lily smirked. "Don't think you're going alone, I'm coming with you." She insisted. "Hell yeah! Let's go stop that wedding!"

* * *

Lots of answers for Emma, and for the rest of you as well, I hope it made sense.

My major reason for this whole marriage plot line is because the whole interrupting wedding event during Operation Mongoose, but I had to steal it from Outlaw Queen, sorry.

But on a side note, I do want to announce that this universe has me so excited about writing that I can't quite say goodbye to it just yet. While the ending of The Purple Fairy is in sight, the end of this universe for me is not in sight at all, so I figured I'd keep going until my excitement dampers out, there are just so many different characters I want to introduce and explore!

I'll leave it at that for now.

Guest Reviews:

andria: I know, its a shocker, but it was planned since I decided to make Zelena a bit of a villain.

Anna: Ha, you'll find out very soon just how much of a mess the situation is. Unfortunately, the Charmings aren't the 'evil' character I was hinting at in earlier replies, sorry, but I couldn't wrap my head around making them my end all be all villains. They're complicated characters to say the least. Emma and Killlian are definitely not lucky, but are star crossed lovers ever lucky? I'm open to chat a bit, I do have to be a little vague at times since it is the internet after all, PM me if you ever want to.

Guest: My explanation for why it could't be Regina was that A) She wouldn't agree to it. B) Zelena is older so she's trying to get the thrown over her younger sister. C) Zelena makes it much more fun! I'm glad you liked my surprise ending.

~Luna


	24. Chapter 24

Chapter 24 

The Man with the Lion Tattoo

They stuck him with a chaperone for his own Bachelor party, not that he felt like celebrating anyway. It was just him and Regina at the local tavern. He'd told her that he wanted none of Zelena's followers, loyal or not, (especially not Regina's not so secret admirer), to accompany him.

(Why Sydney, the man he despised and who despised him in return wanted to come, he didn't know, probably to slit his throat when his back was turned.)

He'd argued with both sisters over the very party to begin with. His health was waning and fast.

Dizzy spells, occasional confusion, shortness of breath, and as of recently, hallucinations.

He'd sworn he'd seen Emma at his side the other day after he'd lost another of Lily's potion. Regina had been furious when the dizzy spell hit, making him collapse so suddenly. But all the potion would do was help with the pain, Killian could handle a little pain.

(It was more than a little, but he didn't dare tell them that.)

Not to mention a sporadic appetite, everything in front of him just made Killian gag. But he still had time; the veins weren't spreading as fast, barely touching his elbow.

Besides that, Zelena wasn't too happy that her husband to be wanted to spend his last night of freedom drinking himself silly. She'd been so excitable about the wedding, shoving fabrics and foods in his face when the last thing he wanted was to think about it. She was acting like he was marrying her for _love_ rather than for convenience. Like he cared what color he wore, or what the guests ate, or who sat where. He was doing this to be _nice_ , to be _useful_.

Killian was well aware that the lass was fond of him, but why Zelena was suddenly so bloody annoying he didn't know. Telling him how to dress, how to act, who to talk to, what to -pretend to- eat, it was bloody infuriating. He'd asked Regina about it, and she had no idea, she'd never seen Zelena acting this way. According to Regina, she was never one to fantasize about weddings, never one to worry about what anyone else thought. Zelena was always one to do things her way and damn anyone who thought she should do otherwise. Apparent;y Zelena had been adament against ever getting married as a child.

 _"Why she didn't punch Sydney right in the jaw that night, I'll never know"_ Regina had said.

 _"She won't listen to anything I say about the things I always have an opinion about."_ She'd added sadly. " _It's like she's a different person."_

Killian didn't know what to think, all he knew was that he didn't like this version of the woman. If he could do something just to bug the witch, than that's what he would do.

(and if it included a few libations, well, he would be ok with that)

The only way that he'd been allowed to have his time at a bar and get bloody drunk without a care was if Regina joined him, something he wasn't exactly opposed to. She was his friend, and a damn good drinking buddy to boot.

"Are you sure this is how you want to spend your night?" Regina asked, glaring at a man who was looking at her with a sleazy gaze. "Your wedding _is_ tomorrow." She said hesitantly.

"And I want to be completely drunk during the ceremony." He snapped before his voice softened. "I know you think it's a bad idea." She was referring to the wedding, and deep down, he happened to agree.

"No I think its terrible idea." She said sternly. "And obviously you agree if you want to be completely hammered during it." She scoffed.

"It keeps either of you having to marry out of love ever again doesn't it?" He replied. "what did she call it, validating your right to rule to those bloody fools?"

Regina nodded.

"We'd be building our future on your blood." She said right back. "There must be a way to-" He shook his head.

"My only hope is long gone. Come on, let's just enjoy tonight yes? I feel fine unless…" He trailed off, his sorrowful look brightening to a smirk of challenge. "You can't handle it lass." He said crossing his arms. "It's alright if you can't." He could see the smirk edging on the bandit's face as well.

"I can handle it pirate." Regina said confidently, dropping down a bag of coins on the bar. "Open a tab, we plan to get _hammered_." She said triumphantly. Killian rolled his eyes.

"That's not very Queenly language lass." He teased.

"I'm not a queen; Zelena's the one aiming for Royalty remember? Plus I'd never marry a pirate." She teased. He gripped his chest in mock pain.

"You wound me lass. But you're right; a far better man will win your heart your highness." He assured her. She was about to respond when a voice caught their attention.

"Welcome back stranger." It said cheekily. Killian looked up. He recognized the man, making him grin.

"You're the bloody bar man from that other village!" He realized. "The one where I met Lacey and Marian, what the hell are you doing this far west?"

He recalled how the man had seemed eager to help him find what he needed and warned him about Lacey's tendencies.

The man nodded. "Figured it was time for a change of scenery. I moved here last week" He said with a smile. "What can I get you?" He asked.

"Rum, and two glasses." Killian ordered. "I'm getting married." He said as explanation.

The man put on a hopeful smile. "To that blonde woman? Congratulations!" Regina gave Killian a look, as he ground his teeth in frustration.

"Not her." He forced out. He hadn't even let the thought cross his mind. He hadn't thought that far ahead…

 _Swan in a white dress, a crown of flowers in her golden hair, smiling with her bright green eyes as she approached, Lily or Elsa at her side, stopping at his side, him sliding his grandmother's ring on her finger, spewing words of love and forever…a future…_

 _Bloody Hell._

 _He needed a drink now._

"Join us." Regina offered. He sent her a glare, which she returned evenly bending close to whisper. "You need a best man, I'm already Zelena's maid of honor, so suck it up, it's him or Sydney." She snapped.

"Fine." He responded. Looking back at the bar tender. "Please mate." He looked between them curiously.

"I shouldn't impose, I should let you two love birds en-" Regina burst out laughing.

"Please, like I'd ever marry _him_." She snickered. "He's marrying my sister." Regina told him.

Killian noticed a particular grin fall across the man's face as he looked at Regina. As if she had given him the go ahead. His eyebrows rose in realization, the spark that was passing between the bandit and the bartender was palpable.

"I'm here so Killian here doesn't have to drink alone." She said with a sorry smile. He rolled his eyes.

"And to make sure that I don't drop dead before the damn wedding." He said honestly. He'd be lying if he said he wasn't worried about that.

Regina shot him a look. "He's being over-dramatic." She said quickly, eyeing the man and elbowing Killian. "A bit paranoid as well."

The barkeeper looked nervously between the two before shrugging and making his way to the other side of the bar. "What the hell. Why not." He settled on. "John is covering the bar tonight and I'd be an idiot not to let a beautiful woman buy me a drink."

He placed three glasses and two bottles of rum between them. "To the happy groom and for new friends."

Killian laughed.

But it was obvious that neither was paying him any attention, they were too busy giving each other doe eyes.

He recalls the first shot as he tells him how he fell head over heals in love with the Dark One, how he rescued her from a tower and they go off and save her sister's aunt from a corrupt king.

He doesn't remember how far he got in his story, just that it's the gritty version of the one he'd told Henry and Roland.

"What happen with her Killian? She seemed to care deeply." The bartender pressed.

"We were all fooled." He muttered darkly.

"She does cares for you deeply." Regina insisted. "I saw the way she looked at you and how you look at her. That's love. This whole thing seems fishy, I don't like it. I get grumpy when I don't know who to hate." She muttered. "My sister for going along with this scheme or Miss Swan for leaving."

He shrugged. "Perhaps it was. But I told her that if she left, I didn't want her to come back, what the hell was I thinking?" He admitted. "All I want is for her to come storming through those doors, tell me she made a mistake."

The bar tender looked between them. "I'm completely lost, why did she leave in the first place?"

He sighed. "I don't know either mate." He answered honestly. "I wasn't honest with her about something, but I never thought it would make her leave so fast. I don't even know how she found out."

The thought to wonder about that fact never occurred to him before now. Had he told her and blacked out? Why had he woken up in the grass? _Perhaps something was wrong..._ Killian shook the thought away.

 _Probably the rum talking._

"I think you should give her a chance if she comes back. I think you should run away from all this political stuff the second you can." Regina admitted through her glass.

"Is that what you would do?"

Regina nodded. "But Zelena is all I have, I can't just leave her."

He recalls the third shot where Regina asks the man for his story, she felt like they were too focused on themselves and alienating poor what's his face.

"I was married." He begins. "We were happy."

He watched Regina give him a sympathetic look.

"I was out with my mates one night about a year ago; I took our son with us. But then the Queen invaded the village, I got separated from him." The man says in a weak breath. "So many were killed in the stampede, and he was so little...I- I know he's dead." He admitted.

He grimaced the thought of a dead child, someone like Henry or worse, Roland, it was the worst pain of all. Killian remembered when he got back to Milah's finding her crying in Bae's room. She told him he'd run away. He barely knew the boy, but the pain he felt at his lost cut deep.

"I'm sorry for your lost." Regina said, hand lingering over his arm.

"Then Lacey came along, seduced my wife with thoughts of power and immortality." He continued, gripping his glass, knuckles white.

"That woman, Marian, dressed in burgundy? That was her?" He nodded.

"She told me that she didn't want this life that…that she was glad our son was gone, left her free to seek a better life." Regina looked at him softly.

The two shared a soft look before their cheeks turned red and they separated. "I lost everyone I ever loved and any chance I have at having a child in one cruel blow." She admits. "The Dark One came to my house one night, 20 years ago. She killed my parents, cursed my sister and I not to age so I couldn't have another child. While her mother convinced my love to put himself under a sleeping curse, and I guess we weren't as in love as I thought." She said sadly. From what Lily had told him, a sleeping curse could only be broken by true love's kiss. He felt bad for Regina, understood the feeling of realizing that their love just wasn't strong enough. "He's still asleep, but I've sort of adopted a young boy from a local village." She admits. "Losing those you love stings like nothing else, but time...It gets better." She assured him.

"Taking in a child who isn't your own is a brave thing to do miss…?"

Regina smiles kindly. "Gina, just Gina"

Killian took another shot. Their doe-eyed looks were…he…just couldn't help being jealous of them, but it felt ridiculous this was why he was doing it. Why he was marrying Zelena, so they could have their happy ending. They all could, Emma, Zelena, Regina and the two boys, Henry and Roland.

He recalls the seventh shot as by then, Regina and the bar keep had escaped the immediate bar and he spotted them making out like a couple of teenagers in the back. He gave a dark laugh.

He remembered kissing Swan without a care in the world, in the depths of the Jolly, in the forest after one of their fights, in his room after they escaped Snow, in town square before things went to hell.

Killian shuddered. He never felt so haunted by good memories, by the knowledge that he was never going to see-

He picked up the bottle and hobbled his way out the door. He didn't want these blood happy memories to turn him into a sobbing mess again, didn't want to think of blonde hair and green eyes, of a joyous laugh that made her seem the innocent princess she was, the powerful, fire that would blow away her enemies with just a swipe of her hand, he took another drink.

He didn't recall much of the rest of the night, just somehow ending up in a hut where a woman did tattoos. He pointed to something in one of the woman's books and felt her needles enter his skin, making his shoulder burn in a pattern.

He recalled Regina following him with their new companion as well. He remembers the man getting a tattoo as well.

"What should I get darling?" Their new friend slurred. Gina laid her head against his shoulder as the man turned his arm to the woman who'd just finished inking an image into Killian's shoulder.

"I've always liked lions." She said in a drunken laugh. The man kissed her gently before turning to the woman.

"You heard the lady, you're best lion tattoo."

XXX

He just knows his head is throbbing that next morning, making him curse the sunlight with his worse scowl. He didn't remember getting sleep, just perhaps unconsciousness, but in all honesty, he'd appreciate anything to forget the reality of the day, this day, this bloody day.

Zelena was a nice woman, any man would be lucky to have her heart, but he just couldn't help thinking about the woman he wished was walking down the aisle.

He got up on unsteady steps, feeling the tickle in the back of his throat, knowing that in seconds it would erupt into a violent grip on his throat, on his lungs. He scrambled for another handkerchief and coughed until he could breathe again. Killian looked down at the stained cloth.

It was red. He was coughing up blood.

Now that didn't look promising.

He rubbed his chin, dabbing away the evidence, even gargling on some water to get the acidic taste away. Killian was clinging desperately on denial, thinking of some way out of this mess. He didn't want to do it. It was the right thing to do but he didn't want to do it. He wanted Emma.

Killian sighed weakly, rubbing his aching shoulder before deciding to go and make sure Regina made it back alright.

But then he recalled why his shoulder was aching. "Bloody Hell." He sighed, going to a mirror, pulling down his shirt to reveal what ridiculous image he'd settled on.

A damn swan was inked on his skin, about the size of his palm into his shoulder. Apparently his drunken mind liked to torture itself with memories he should forget.

He had Milah's name on his arm from his last drunkin' bender.

(Last before Swan at least)

"Killian!" Snapped a voice too bloody loud, making him rub at his aching head.

"WhaT?" He moaned. He saw a flash of red and green, recognizing his fiancée and her pissed off expression. It was something he'd seen a lot of as of late, almost as if she'd created it just for him.

"Do you know how late you got back?" She snapped. "We agreed you'd do something tame. Go hunting, or playing poker, not getting drunk like some common pirate." She snapped.

He rolled his eyes. "I am a common pirate lass." He snarled back. "And I figured I'd enjoy my last taste of freedom." He reasoned.

She huffed in annoyance. "You got my little sister drunk. She came back with a man, did you know that?" She asked in outrage. He nodded, quite liking seeing her outraged.

"Ah, you met the bar keep, very nice man, honorable. Those two really hit it off." He recalled.

"And are you aware that they almost had sex? That I caught them? That man nearly cost Regina her innocence." Killian snickered.

"Darling, I saw the two of them last night, before they were drunk, trust me, I think you got the positions reversed." He laughed, vaguely recalling Regina dragging the man to a secluded place, despite his attempts at being courteous.

She huffed again. "What do I do with him now?" She exclaimed.

Killian grinned wickedly, an idea formed in his mind. "Send him over here; I think my best man should help me get ready for the big day, don't you?"

She scowled at him, before approaching him grabbing him by the collar, pulling him down to her level.

"You better behave yourself." She threatened. "You and your commoner friends are _not_ going to ruin _my_ day." She insisted. "Especially if you want to stay in _my_ camp. Ruin this day and you'll be on your own during these spells of yours, left to the animals" She threatened.

He clenched his hands, this was the woman he was marrying? "Of course _darling._ You say such loving things." He said sarcastically.

She rolled her eyes before prancing away.

"Now that's not a very nice woman." Said a voice. "Gina tells me I'm to be your best man?" The bartender asked, blood shot eyes and crumpled clothes showing that the man was in similar conditions to himself.

"Aye, but before that, I find I don't remember your name." He said suddenly. "And that's bad form."

The man laughed. "Robert, but my friends call me Robin."

Killian nodded "Killian Jones." He replied. "Now, should we get ready for my wedding?"

Robin didn't move, looking at him questioningly. "I don't know what she has over you but do you really want to do this?"

He shrugged.

"What other choice do I have?" He countered. "Just help me into this monkey suit Zelena brought me." He said impatiently. Robin's hopeful expression fell.

"Sure mate." Robin said, helping him, but not letting the conversation topic drop.

"What about the blonde? Emelia? Emily?" He searched.

"Emma." Killian supplied. "But she's gone to who knows where." He said with a sigh. "I told her to never come back." He recalled.

"And if she did? If your Emma came to you this very moment, apologizing and asking you not to marry Zelena." He prodded. "If I had another shot with my son, I'd do whatever was necessary to be with him."

He nodded. "But she's not here." He reminded the man.

"You found her once. You can find her again." Robin stated.

"My brother once told me that he hoped I would find a woman that was worth ruining my entire life for." Killian recalled absently. "Because only then would I know it was real, and if it was real I should fight every day for her."

Robin waited patiently. "And? Are you willing to ruin your entire life for Emma? The woman you love. Regina doesn't want you to do it. I've known the lass a day and she doesn't want you to give up your happiness for her or her family."

Killian just sighed. He didn't know what to do.

"You married Marian for love right?" He had to ask. He nodded.

"I would have loved her until the day she died, and I guess she did die, the day our boy did. The day Lacey had her in her sights."

He remembered Lacey, her manipulative words, her true identity as the sorcerer's wife Belle. And Marian's new identity, Clorinda her lady in waiting, Marian must have gotten what she wanted all along, power. She and Lacey, were entangled with the Sorcerer, embodiment of light magic.

"Lacey, what else do you know about her?" He said gently.

"She has no magic, I convinced myself for ages that she'd cast a charm on my wife, but alass I learned otherwise. She simply has access to magical items." The dagger she'd cut him with. It had been enchanted so that Swan couldn't heal it. "She seemed to know what Marian truly desired, freedom and power, and then handed it to her so it looked like she was choosing it, like I was holding her back."

Killian shook his head. It was disgusting, manipulating a grieving woman like that. "Sorry for bringing it up mate."

Killian was no longer torn. He knew exactly what he had to do.

He left his tent marching into Zelena's. There were no bridesmaids helping her get ready, much to his surprise, he'd thought they wouldn't leave her side, fussing about her hair and makeup and the dress…

"Zelena?" He called as he pushed his way inside.

He recognized the dress she was wearing moments before, but her red hair was gone, replaced by dark brown. Her pale complication was tanner, her green eyes, were dark brown.

It wasn't Zelena.

"You." He realized as she trained her eyes on the woman, taking a step back. "Where's-"

The woman laughed, picking up a golden chain from the desk, placing it on herself for a moment, reclaiming Zelena's form. "Gone." She removed it coming closer to him, as if reveling in her actual form. "You really, really should have stayed in your tent with my ex-husband."

It had _never_ been Zelena

Standing in front of Killian was Marian. Robin's ex-wife, Lacey's lackey.

Then something hit him hard on the back of the head. He crumbled to his knees, clutching his head, looking up in surprise. "Why?" He rasped, feeling his vision growing darker as his head throbbed.

"Because stealing pretty pirates from Dark Ones is a favorite pass time of my mistress." She said, kneeling down to cup his cheek, he pulled away, trying to get back to his feet, trying to go, to tell everyone that-

And then he was hit yet again and everything went black.

* * *

I'll be honest, this was one of my favorite chapters to write. I can't write Roland without Robin after all. Plus my big twist, I felt it was only fair. I was SO surprised by Zelena and Marian debacle when I first saw it, I'm talking actual jaw dropped.

Now guest reviews:

andria: Yes, David and Snow's secret is quite the twist. The wedding is next chapter.

seventy4: I like your theory, I think you're definitely going to like the last chapter in particular.

Anna: Yes, I love unexpected twists as you probably can tell. I love good Zelena too. Fun fact: I originally had Zelena just being bad, but I felt it didn't mesh well with what this universe is about, villains being heros and heros being villains. I have to keep some characters the same, mostly the flat characters but Zelena is NOT a flat character. Then I remembered what Zelena did to Marian. Lily is my favorite. I have lots planned for her in the sequel of the sequel(third?).

Clear: I can't wait to post the wedding.

Don't forget to review! I'm actually very interested with the reaction to this chapter in particular.

~Luna


	25. Chapter 25

Chapter 25

When the Church Bells Ring

The camp is empty by the time Emma and Lily arrive in it, only a handful of woman taking care of all the camp's children.

 _The witch probably didn't want to deal with them at her wedding._ Emma mused.

"I'm going to look through Zelena's things." Lily explains. "If she's vile enough to steal a dying man's medicine, then who knows what else she has up her sleeve." Emma nods, appreciating Lily's caution, she just wanted to get to Killian.

"Emma!" Cries a small voice, running through the camp. She smiles at the familiar little boy.

"Hey Roland, how are you?" She asks embracing the small boy. The boy smiles.

"Good now that you're here." He insists. "I want to know how the story ends! Killy wouldn't tell me and Mister Sydney says the Deckhand and the Princess didn't end up together, but it's true love! Everything has to work out, it just has to!" He insists stubbornly, even stomping his little foot.

She smiles at his belief. "I'll tell you, I promise, but first, I need to know where everyone is, your Gina and Zelena and Killy." She loved the boy's name for her sailor.

The boy nods in understanding. "The church! They're at the church getting married!" He says in exasperation.

She nods. "Thank you Roland. You've been a big help." She tells the boy. "Lily is in Zelena's tent, I'm sure she'd like the company." She says, hoping to just flash over to the wedding, she has to make it in time. She just has to!

Emma snaps her fingers imagining the church before appearing in front of it.

She takes a breath and pokes her head inside. She sees him there, standing in front of the official, Zelena besides him. He looks so handsome in his suit, although the green tie doesn't quite suit him. She doesn't wait to hear what's happening, to watch him smile at Zelena, she just wants him back.

"Don't do this Killian!" She cries out storming past the outraged brides maids, save Regina. The brunette lets out a sigh of relief. Emma walks up to him slowly, gathering her courage. He looks at her in nervous surprise. "Don't marry her." She pleads.

He just looks at her. "D- _Emma_. You're here." He says in reserved realization. His gaze shifts to Zelena and back to her.

"I'm here. I'm so sorry, I didn't know, I thought I did, but it wasn't the same. I didn't know what was really going on." She pleads, rambles even, "Can you ever forgive me?"

She waits a moment, a moment that feels like it lasts years. She just stares at his open mouth. She sees him trying to put words together in his head. Then he responds.

"No." He declares.

Her heart drops.

"I can't. You left me Emma. Now you're interrupting my wedding. You're ruining Zelena's big day." He pulls away from her, closer to Zelena.

"She's lying to you, she doesn't care about you, she's been stealing your medicine." Emma insists. Her mind is reeling, she never thought he would flat out refuse her. "Even if you hate me, don't marry her. Please."

Killian shook his head, smile leaving his face. "I don't believe you. I love _her_."

She's fighting back tears, his voice is so cold. It hurts, it just hurts. She knows it's a lie, but she didn't think he'd say it just to hurt her. He wasn't malicious like that.

"Mate listen to her-" The man besides him tries. Emma vaguely recognizes him, but that's not important. Because Killian is pulling away from her, and she doesn't know what to do, what to say to make him believe, believe in her, in them.

"Zelena is that true?" Regina asks. Zelena doesn't look at her. "Zelena!" She shouts grabbing her arm. "Killian keeps losing his medicine, I thought it was him being ill and clueless, but have you been taking it?" She demands. "Answer me sister!" Her voice is cold and angry.

"Don't touch me." She sneers, shaking her off and grabbing Killian by the arm. Regina looks like she's just been slapped. "You need to go. Make her leave Killy." She says whispering in his ear, pressing so close. He smirks at her, arm wrapped around her tightly. It mirrors her dream to a T.

"Leave Emma." He says. "If you ever cared about me, you'll leave." She starts to. He was so mad at her, he had to be to be acting like this, maybe she should just go, let him spend his time how he wishes.

"Please Killian. After everything we've been through on the Jolly, with Elsa and Ingrid, when I thought you died, I don't believe you'd want to walk away from this." She pleaded. One last attempt.

"Yes, but you left first." He reminds her.

She turns to leave. She doesn't know what to do. How to convince him.

 _Yes._

 _Emma has never once heard him say yes. Definitely not for the important things._

"Keep the boat for your trouble." Killian says in passing, turning back to Zelena. "I don't need it or _you_ anymore."

Emma's heart stops again, but for an entirely different reason, she whirls back around at his superfluous comment. "What did you say?" She asks in a breathless whisper. She's looking him over, his every movement, his every instinct.

"I said you could keep the boat." He says carefully. "What's wrong Emma?"

 _Emma. Not Swan._ She appears in front of him in an instant, powered by her magic, cocking her head to the side. Looking, just looking. Every scar, every mark, every single physical thing was identical to her sailor.

 _'Yes', not 'Aye'_

 _'Emma' not 'Swan'_

 _Boat. He called the Jolly a boat. He talked about her like she was nothing. (both her and the Jolly)_

 _He never called the Jolly an it._

But there are things you can't fake.

"You're not Killian." She realized. He flinched.

"Of course I am." He insisted. "Just because I don't love you anymore, doesn't mean I'm a bloody imposter." He chuckled.

"Prove it." She challenged.

He nodded. "I'm Killian Jones, my brother is Liam, I saved you from a tower, sailed around with you and-" She shook her head.

"Killian, _my_ Killian has been telling our story to Roland. It proves nothing." She insisted. She thought for a moment.

"What was the first moment we connected? The first time I let you in?"

He stared blankly at her. "How am I supposed to know every-" Emma doesn't hesitate, she doesn't give him the chance to explain himself. Killian would know. Killian would always know. She plunges her hand into his chest, ignoring her own pain at the sight of his face in pain. She holds onto the single thought that he is an imposter.

She removes his heart, feeling its warmness, but it wasn't quite right. She'd held his heart and this wasn't it. Hearts were like finger prints, the shape, the color, the size, the warmth. Emma knew Killian's heart, she'd held it once before and it was a felling she'd never forget.

This wasn't it.

She sees the shocked and horrified faces of everyone around her, the man besides Killian pulling Regina back away from her out of fear. Zelena is frozen in horror. She must look like a monster, ripping out the heart of the man she loves most. She honestly doesn't care. If a monster was what it took to figuring this all out then that was what she would be.

"Turn back to normal." She orders squeezing ever so slightly. 'Killian' goes to his neck, pulling a golden chain from it until it snaps, dropping it into her hand. Emma sees the green plant shimmering in the pendant. She recognizes it with ease.

The change is instant. Killian is gone, replaced by that sniveling man, Sydney.

 _Of course, only he would be that stupid._

She has half a mind to _kill him right now._

How dare he impersonate her love? How dare he say things to hurt her, to further wreck them. Emma bets that it was him she saw kissing Zelena, they'd planned it so she'd see them. They had placed their hopes in her anger and insecurities; that she wouldn't allow the real version to explain himself.

She loathed that they were right. They had played her like a fiddle.

"Please don't-" He begs. She tightens her grip, suddenly loving her power over him, to make him suffer for her pain, Killian's pain.

"Why?" She orders. "Why do this? Why pretend to be him now?"

It only made sense if he didn't make it. It only made sense if Killian was already gone. He'd agreed to marry the red headed witch, they hadn't known she was coming, so why wasn't Killian here? Killian should be here.

His response is instant. "She said she'd make me King. She said that she'd marry me next for real, that we could rule." He pleaded. He wanted her to understand.

" _Who?"_ She seethed. His eyes answered, drifting to the bride to be.

 _Zelena._ She isn't exactly surprised.

She sees Zelena tense, backing up, it's cute really, to think she'll get away unharmed after this. Doesn't she know that there is no escaping once the Dark Swan has her sight set on her? Doesn't she know what happens to those who try to steal from her? Who hurt the ones she loves?

In her haste, Emma notices a flash of gold around her neck. It surprises her, bringing up a whole new slew of problems.

"Perhaps this is my fault, for being so easily fooled." She begins pace towards her _slowly_ , seeing the fear, _relishing_ in it, allowing her voice to slow, drawing out the terror. "But when I left my sailor in your care, I expected him to be returned to me in that _exact condition_." She continued, nearing her. "So I will ask you one time, and if I like your answer, maybe I'll let you keep your heart in your chest."

Maybe.

"Where is _my_ Killian?" She grabs her by the collar of her tacky dress. "Because make no mistake, he _belongs_ to _me_." She hisses.

The woman hesitates.

"Zelena, I don't know what you did, but p-lease, just end it." Regina pleads. "Where's the real Killian?"

Zelena barely looks at her.

"You're wasting your breath Gina." Emma moves her hand, swiftly to tug a matching gold chain with a matching green plant. '"Zelena's" face is suddenly horrified, trying to bat Emma's hand away. It was a six leaf clover, just like the one around Sydney's neck, making him look just like Killian. "This isn't your sister." It was powerful transformation magic based in another realm. She snapped the necklace off.

After her brief talk with Neal, it left her suspicious. Talking about the mythic and rare plant before finding its magic being manipulated against her? Not a coincidence. And the next thing she saw just confirmed it.

The woman had familiar brown hair and tanned skin, her dress was deep burgundy and her eyes were like stone as they tore through her in anger. Emma smirked, feeling victorious for figuring it out, even if it took her awhile.

It was Clorinda, Belle's lady in waiting. She hadn't seemed suspicious back then, just like all the other royals at court, but it was her.

Although why she wanted to impersonate a woman who lived in the forest, she didn't know. The only thing she did know was that it had something to do with the Sorcerer.

He'd been the one who had given her the tools to do so much damage, Emma just didn't understand why. Why had he aligned himself with her mother in the first place? Why had he helped this woman trick them? Just when things started to add up, something else happened to mess with it all.

"Marian?" The man besides Sydney (bartender?) exclaimed. "You're here? You-"

Marian? Wasn't that the name of the woman with Lacey? What was the Sorcer's Wife's Lady in Waiting have to do with that temptress Lacy?

 _Alright, another thing she didn't understand._

The woman looked at him with expressionless eyes. "Hello Robin." She said with a smirk. The man, Robin looked stunned but did not look completely surprised

"Hurting more people I see." He said sarcastically. "I'm not even surprised anymore."

She chuckled but didn't have a chance to answer as Regina pulled herself out of the man's grip, punching at Marian with blind rage. " _What did you do to my sister?!"_ She screamed as Robin pulled her away. She was fighting desperately with murderous intent. Something that Emma understood.

"And to Killian!" Emma added. She dropping Sydney's heart like a bad apple, ripping out Marian's instead. "I didn't like your answer." She said in explanation. Emma admired the heart for a moment.

There was darkness swirling inside, a lot of it. "What have you been done to him? Have you been making him sicker faster? Why are you even here? Where are they?" She demanded.

Marian sneered. "To the pirate? You already know, taking whatever devil's brew the dragon ladies have been giving him" She taunted. "It makes him just a _tad_ sicker, just a _tad_ less clever, my master underestimated him once, and they won't do it again."

 _So what I saw…it's just the dreamshade. Killian's really dying…_

"I'm here because my master wants to keep an eye on this sad little group, and when she heard the Dark One and her little family were here seeking shelter, she ordered me to…break it up a little." She taunted. "Who knew the pirate was smarter than the sorceress?"

Emma tightened her grip, but Marian barely reacted.

She'd never forgive this woman for hurting her heart, for costing her precious time.

"Where are they?" She said through gritted teeth.

"Gone. You're too late." She laughed.

 _No!_

"I saw him this morning." The man insisted. "It was _him_. I know it. I passed him by" He pointed towards Sydney, "on my way to his tent." He pulled Regina back into his grip as she started screaming incoherently into his chest.

"Emma you have to find them." She said after a moment. "Zelena is all the family I have. Please Emma. Please. You owe me. You owe me!" Emma saw the heartbroken look in the usual standoffish bandit. She nodded an acknowledgement.

"You better pray we're not!" Emma hissed at Marian, picking her up and slamming her head into the wall, shoving her beating heart in her face. "Where are they?!"

Marian didn't get to answer as someone rushed into the church, her skin and hair was singed with soot.

"Fire! There's a fire back at camp!" She shouted.

Marian grinned. "Burning." She sneered.

But Emma paid her no heed, picking up Sydney's heart and finding one of the Merry Men that looked the least likely to betray them, he was skinny and near the back, trying not to draw attention to himself, he looked mortified by the entire turn of events. "What's your name?"

The man blinked in surprise at her acknowledging his presence. "W-Will." He said nervously. Emma tossed him the hearts which he caught in a clumsy grab. He cringed as he held them, probably due to the warmth. It was a weird sensation.

"Keep an eye on them." She said sternly, earning a clumsy nod. "I'll be back for them later." The unspoken threat hung in the air. Emma didn't want to threaten a poor mortal, but she was done trusting these people.

She went to Regina and Robin, holding both their shoulders.

"Get a hold of yourself." She said sternly to Regina. "They are probably in the middle of this fire, we need you under control for this if we want to save them, ok?"

Regina nodded. "Roland, my son, he's in camp too." She asked frantically.

"Roland?" The Robin asked, eyes wide. "Your son? His name is-" They both ignored him.

"He's fine. He's with Lily." She didn't look convinced. "If there's anyone who can take care of your kid in a fire it's her." She insisted. Fire was something that Lily knew quite well how to handle.

She materialized them just outside and that woman had been right; it was a full blown inferno of fire and smoke. There was a group of woman and children gathered outside. Regina stood gaping as the man was still pestering her with questions about the boy. Emma spotted Lily among the escaped woman and children.

"What happened?" She demanded. Lily shook her head in confusion. Her hands and arms were black with soot.

"I don't know, one minute it was fine, the next there was fire and smoke everywhere." She insisted. "It was not a normal fire too, thankfully I'm, well, me, but I got everyone out. Did you make it? Did you find-" She stopped short.

"Emma. What happened?" Lily must have seen the look on her face.

"He's in there." She whimpered in realization, visualizing it in her mind. "He's in there."

They looked at the fire burning so brightly. Emma couldn't feel anything, not a sign of life. If there had been any life at all in the burning tents, her magic would have picked up on it.

She'd been too late.

She could just imagine him burning, helpless to escape, trapped, and alone. Killian hadn't wanted to die alone, she'd left him, it was all her fault. Killian was d-

 _"We need some help over here!"_ Called a voice.

Her head swiveled instantly.

 _It couldn't be…_

Robin went over to lend a hand as well as one of the able women. She barely looked over; barely saw who was coming from opposite direction of the fire.

But barely looking was enough. She saw who it was.

"The lass inhaled a lot of smoke." He explained. "Bloody woman's heavy." He groaned as the weight was lifted off his shoulders, a woman who looked under fed with a mess of red hair and a faded and dirty green dress.

She approached carefully, not quite believing it until she saw a pair of too blue eyes.

"Killian?" She can hear Regina fretting over the woman, the real Zelena, and Lily going to give her some magical aid, but Emma didn't care.

Emma herself is paralyzed just looking at him. He doesn't see her yet; he just lists to the side, supported by a tree, taking a breath of relief, his eyes closed.

Ash covered his face but even them she can see the weakness he was trying to hide. Each breath was shallow and looked like it took a lot out of him; his hands were shaking so he shoved them in his pockets.

She approached him hesitantly, silently, as he rested his eyes. She reached out and touched him on the arm, a gentle motion. She didn't want to startle him, she just wanted to look at him.

"Killian?" She whispered. His eyes snapped open.

"S-Swan?" He said in disbelief, eyes bright and blue and on her. She smiled. This was her sailor. She didn't need to question it. She just knew.

"Killian, I'm so-" She didn't have a chance to finish as he pulled her into his arms in a sudden embrace. It took a moment to recover from her surprise before she pulled him in tighter, feeling him bury his head in her hair, breathing in with deep breaths. She smiled into the familiar embrace, her nose against his neck. He still smelled of leather even if it was concealed by the deep scent of smoke. Then suddenly, he pulled away.

"I'm sorry, I shouldn't have done that." He says quickly, avoiding her gaze, stepping away from her. "You left, you made your choice, I respect that I understand." He's rambling. She closed the distance, pressing her hand to his face, it made him bring his eyes back to hers. He looked at her with a broken look. He wanted to pull away, but he couldn't bear to.

"It's ok, you did nothing wrong, I'm sorry. I-" She didn't know what to say. She edged closer. "When Marian said you were gone, that you were in-" She pointed to the fire that was currently being bothered by the merry men's feeble efforts at throwing buckets of water they were bringing back and forth from the nearby lake. "There, I thought…I thought the last thing I ever said to you were words of hate, lies. You didn't deserve any of that."

He shakes his head. "I did, I lied to you. I'm going to leave you, so I understand how you wanted to leave first." He rationalizes. "Truly."

She shakes her head right back, her hands over her face. She hated it, the pain she'd caused him, that Marian had tricked her into inflicting. She should have realized that Killian wouldn't do that to her. He was a good man.

"Emma, you're crying love." He whispers. "Please don't." His hand ghosted to her cheek, whipping away the tears, "Not for me."

She can't help pulling back into his embrace, much to his surprise. "Don't say that." She begs. "Don't think of yourself like that. You are amazing, and kind and the man I love." She lists. "I'm so sorry for everything, but there's something you need to know." Emma takes a breath as she watches his expression.

"I didn't _know_. I thought I did, but I didn't." He gives her a confused look. "I didn't know about the Dreamshade. Zelena, or Marian I guess, she tricked me. She made me think you'd fallen in love with her. I saw you, or the person I thought was you which was actually Sydney, kissing her, telling her you _loved_ her. I thought that was the secret you were keeping." His eyes widened. "I thought you just couldn't tell me that you didn't love me." She said softly.

"Swan I didn't- I wouldn't-" He tried, but Emma didn't give him a chance.

"I know, I know that now, I let all my issues blind me Killian, I got your letter." She said. "I didn't finish, but I know enough. I know what's going to happen." She goes to his arm, seeing dark marks through the cut in his shirt, trailing through his blood. "Today, I found out today. I swear, if I had known-" Her eyes tear up. "Oh god Killian. You should have told me sooner." She whimpered.

He nodded. "Aye." He agrees. "I didn't want you to worry." He admits, ducking his head again.

She waits until he's looking at her again. "You don't have to protect me, you don't have to be strong all the time." She insists. "You don't have to forgive me right away, what I said…you didn't deserve that. I was angry over something that you didn't even do and lashed out."

He nodded. "Aye. I'll admit I was awfully surprised. One minute I'm at the desk, and the next thing I know I'm waking up on the grass. I thought it was…" He gestured to his arm. "To think, this whole mess could have been avoided if we'd just told each other." He chuckled humorlessly.

"Do you think…you could ever forgive me?" Emma found herself asking despite her better judgement. "I can tell you're still in pain over what I did, what I said."

He nodded. "Aye. Remind me never to get you angry." He teased lightly. "But I do forgive you Swan, I'll always forgive you, no matter what." He said confidently.

She couldn't take it a second longer; she pulled him forward kissing him. He didn't hesitate, hand at her hip and the back of her head.

And in that moment, Emma knew that everything was going to be ok.

* * *

Happy Independence Day!

(Or happy Monday to those reading outside the US)

I was asked to update early, so here I am! I was in a massive case of writers block this week, I think I've gotten through it for the most part.

But this is the chapter we've all been waiting for! The reunion. I promise they won't be separated like this for a very long time. (I mean we do only have 2 chapters and 1 Epilogue to go.) Fun fact, the first time I wrote this, this was the last chapter. But I felt I needed to tie up some loose ends.

Just a recap since some reviews have been a bit confused, Lacey and Belle are the same person, Killian knows this, but Emma does not. Marian and Clorinda are the same person and they both know this. It's an important distinction.

Now Guest reviews:

andria: I love Robin. I always intended to put him in here, just not how Once did it purely because I felt he was in the same role just with Zelena marrying him. They will reunite VERY soon.

Anna: Zelena is actually Marian, not Lacey. She's just been seen by our duo with Lacey. I'm glad it was a shocker. As I said if someone had predicted that then I would have been definitely surprised! As you can see, everything worked itself out. I will confirm, Roland is Robin and Marian's son. Yes, this chapter is posted a little sooner.

Don't forget to review! If you think there is some issue I'v dropped, let me know so I can make sure I answer it in the last two chapters (or not because plans) This story/universe is so dear to me I'm so appreciative of all the support I've received for it. I wouldn't be still writing this much without it!

~Luna


	26. Chapter 26

Chapter 26

No Rest for the Wicked

When Killian woke up, breathing in thick clouds of smoke in a tent he didn't recognize, he never imagined that his day would end with kissing his love. He never imagined that after finding Zelena, the real one this time, weak and unconscious, he'd learn that his love never truly desired to leave him.

They'd tricked her, made her give in to the dark insecurities she always fought with, thoughts that no one could ever love a monster, thoughts that he would end up leaving in the end. It was one of the things they had in common, the fear of being left behind. It was what made what Marian did both dreadful, so effective.

Emma tried to leave first to protect her heart, and Killian hadn't chased after her to keep his own from being smashed for a second time.

But kissing Emma, it healed their hearts just a little, it was a start. Killian wondered if he'd have enough time to properly fixe what had been purposely damaged. He hoped and prayed he did, he swore that he would try.

Then the kiss ended and they were forced to return to reality, to deal with the fall out of this mess. The fact that this Marian woman had impersonated Zelena, the fact that the people who had taken them in were staring at their homes in flames, and the fact that with Zelena unconscious, and Regina was a mess of worry, now no one knew what to do.

Yes that all had to be dealt with before anything else could be accomplished.

"I should go see if Gina needs any help." He said softly, Emma nodded with a smile.

"I'll go take care of the fire before those fools hurt themselves." She said giving the Merry Men a sly look. Neither of them moved, her hand was still on his face, and his eyes were still on her.

He still couldn't believe that she was back.

"Killian. I'm going to fix this, I have a plan." Emma admitted, giving him a reassuring squeeze. "Don't give up hope yet ok?"

He nodded. He'd try his best, but he had already accepted his fate so he wasn't sure what would be the point.

Killian didn't tell her that.

Zelena was coming to as he tried to approach Regina, however Robin stopped him before he could reach the pair.

"Mate, Roland, Regina's boy, can you describe him? Age, hair, temperament? Or how about pointing him out to me?" The man said urgently. Killian looked at him suspiciously; he rather liked the lad, even though he'd taken to referring to him as 'Killy'. So hearing Robin, a friend but still a stranger, asking about that boy made his protective instincts flare.

"Why do you want to know?" Robin swallowed thickly. "Look mate, Regina is a good person and her lad is a ray of sunshine, you seem like a good bloke too, but why the sudden interest?"

Robin sighed. "My son's name was Roland. Regina told me she adopted him about a year ago and I lost my son over a year ago as well."

Bloody hell.

"My son was around 5 so he must be 6 by now, he has brown curly hair, dimples, and he loves stories." He explained.

Bloody hell. That sounded exactly like the little lad. Killian looked around, seeing him hanging around Lily as she was shepherding the children towards the lake with some of the other mothers.

"I can't give you answer mate." He said trying to step past him. "I don't want to give you hope just for it to be a misunderstanding." He saw Regina helping Zelena to her feet.

"Killian-" Robin tried, but he shook his head.

"Look around you mate, this is chaos. _If_ your boy is the same one I know, the best thing you can do right now is to not make things difficult on his mother than they need-"

Robin interrupted, "But he's-"

Killian shook his head. "You have time to figure it out. You have all the time in the world, a few minutes, hell a few hours will change nothing. Just wait until things calm down and I'll personally see to it that you get your answers, alright?"

Robin sighed in defeat rubbing at his hair absently. "You're sure he's alright though?" Killian was. Lily would take care of him. He turned back towards Regina as she was offering Zelena some water. He neared them slowly. Regina spotted him smiling as he sat on her other side.

"Hello Zelena." He greeted, noticing how weak Zelea looked. "How are you feeling?"

Zelena's expression changed, she smirked at him. "Of course." She replied like his question was stupid. "What do you take me for?" It made Regina snicker.

"Be nice Zelena." Regina scolded. "Can you tell us what happened?"

She nodded. "I went in to check on Aurora and I saw her necklace." Necklace? "It was a six leaf clover. " Zelena continued, "I knew what it was, I knew what it does." Regian raised a brow.

"How? I've never heard of it." Zelena gave an evasive smile.

"Your sister had her share of adventures when we were separated." She says cryptically. "Tornado took me to another realm for a bit. I learned about it then." Killian noticed something pass between the siblings.

"So Aurora was really Marian?" Killian asked lightly, drawing attention back to them. "So Aurora was never there? It was always Marian?"

They didn't know.

"Marian figured out that I knew, slugged me with a rock and the next thing I know I'm waking up in a cave a little bit from here. She came and gave me food and water and asked me questions several times." Regina looked defeated, guilt coming off of her in waves. Killian was about to say something, but Zelena beat him to it.

"Don't look at me like that sister dear." The red head said simply. "The sorry maid didn't kill me. I'm alive, now lets make sure we all stay that way alright sister, I need to clean up what mess she's made with my camp." Killian would have expected a bit more compassion rather than how blunt she was, but it looked like it did the trick. Regina pulled out a large green pendent from her pocket, it was identical to the purple one around her neck. It caused Zelena's eyes to light up and for her to reach for it warily.

"How?" she asked. Regina smiled jesturing to her neck. Zelena pulled her hair forward so Regina could secure it.

"Emma had them, apparently it was what she used to curse us, something about talismans." Regina explained. "Wearing them will make us normal again. We can grow up, have a future, children, we have it all back." Zelena surged forward, wrapping her arms about her little sister. It made Killian back away, knowing a private moment when he saw one.

He looks back, seeing Emma prancing around the decollate area, free of any trace of fire, returning the camp to how it was. He could see the greatful smiles on the others, mothers returning to their homes, occasionally letting Emma know that she'd missed something with great hesitation. She'd just smile and correct her mistake.

(He swore her magic flashed a lighter color every now and then, but he didn't trust his judgement)

Once she's finished, he notices Lily speaking to her quietly. Killian figures since he has a moment with no one paying attention to him, he'd take advantage of it.

He takes this moment of solitude to rest his eyes, just briefly, he felt the wood of a tree at his back, easing some weight off his aching body. Everything shouldn't hurt this much, but it does.

He wonders if Liam knew it would hurt this much.

"Killian?" Emma says suddenly asks, a hand on his shoulder, moving up to his neck. He stirs, seeing her, grin plaster instinctively. "Are you alright?"

He nods. "Never better love." He tells her. She quirks a brow.

"I don't need a super power to know you're not." She says softly, wrapping herself around him.

"I know." He says with a small voice. But he couldn't tell her the truth. "Just a little tired." He reasons. "I'll be-" He stops. He didn't want to lie again. "It'll be ok." He says instead.

"We're going to fix this." She tells him suddenly, making him look at her.

 _She's so bloody beautiful._

"I have a way there, a magical branch that can open a portal, we just need a way to guide it…I will get you there. I _will_ save you." She assured him.

He wanted to believe her, to put his faith in her, in her power, in her hope, but he couldn't. He just couldn't find any left, any belief, any hope. He was just tired. He dropped his forehead against hers, breathing in softly. She still smelled of cinnamon.

"We keep losing and finding each other." She reminds him in a whisper. "No more. We're sticking together now alright? I'm going to get us our future, alright? You just have to have faith."

He shook his head.

"I don't have any left." He admitted in a shaken voice. He saw her face scrunch up in confusion. "Fifteen years of searching, false hope after false hope. I couldn't find even a clue." He admitted. "And that was before I realized I was dying." He explained. "Magic beans, slippers, curses _, none of it worked_." His voice broke.

He trembled, he hated it, hated that he shook, hated that his admission brought tears to her eyes, a mix of guilt and pity to her green orbs. He reached up and whipped away a stray tear racing down her cheek. "No tears Swan. I've accepted it, my fate. I'll be happy as long as you have a future, find your happy ending Swan." He urged.

"Don't you know?" She said in an equally as shaking voice. "It's you." She admitted, hands wrapping around his neck. "It's ok. It will be ok, because I'm ready now." She said confidently. "I'll never stop fighting for our future."

He smiles because that's just like her, to keep fighting, trudging on, to keep running, even if it's from the inevitable. He hopes she can find a way to let him go…when the time comes.

"If I find a way, will you be ok with that?" She asks suddenly. "Will you let me help you?"

He nods. "Always Swan." He agrees pressing his face to her neck so he can whisper in her ear, because if it's a whisper, it couldn't hurt them. "You're my happy ending too." She smiled and he felt tears on her cheeks, looking back and seeing that they were happy tears. He glanced around them, seeing the camp change from somber to joyous. One man was even playing a flute, another person a stringed instrument. They were playing some song he didn't recognize.

It looked to him like the start of a party.

"Dance with me?" She pleaded with a smile. "We were happy the last time we danced." He remembered that day in the village. They felt invincible, nothing could go wrong. It was there last quiet moment, feeling like so long ago.

He smirked. "And perhaps we can have a repeat of what else we did after we danced he teased, taking her hand, and placing the other on her hip." She said leaning in, whispering slowly.

 _Bloody minx._

"Sure love, you remember how to do this right Swan?" He asked. She snickered.

"Yup." And then she kissed him. And then they danced.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXX

No one notices that its Emma who's leading most of the time, or that at the end of the first song all he was seeing was swirls of colors. Emma noticed it and once it was alright, she helped him sit at a table the men had brought in. Apparently Marian had arranged for them along with a massive amount of food for their wedding, they were planning on not letting it go to waste. He leans against Emma's side as they wait for the food.

"We should really get going Killian." Emma tries but Killian shakes his head.

"I'm getting a quiet moment with you if it kills me." He declares.

"Killian." Emma scolds. He smirks. He looks up and shudders.

"Uh oh." He mutters. "Swan…" But he has a feeling even she couldn't stop what was coming next.

"What the hell Jones?!" Lily snaps, marching towards them clearly enraged. "I told you when I saved your sorry life that you had to tell her!" He tries a smirk, but that seems to only make it worse.

"You let ME think she knew and you let HER think you were ok when they were both lies." She demanded. "You idiot, selfish, selfish idiot!" He ducks his head under her wrath.

"Lily-" Emma tries but it's a useless attempt.

"No Emma, you both need to hear this now, or our trip to Neverland will be hell." She said, arms crossed. "You both need to really learn to communicate."

Killian raised a brow. "Our trip?" He knew Emma was determined to get them there, but he didn't think-

"How do you think you're getting out of this mess Jones? Emma may have magic, but she's not exactly great at making cures." Lily snickers. Emma crosses her arms.

"Hey! Its not my fault that it takes to freaking long to do." She pouts. Killian snickers.

"Thank you. I appreciate it." He notes. "But what about Henry? I'd think you'd want to keep him-" This time it was Emma who answered.

"Henry's tagging along." She informed him. "Lily's going to pick him up in the morning."

He looked at them in confusion again. Her brown eyes glowed a vibrant green color. "Ever wonder why Emma named me 'Dragon Girl' in your story?" He hadn't, but now he was. The pair just snickered. "The point is that you've made an impression on two of the most important people in my life, and I'm determined to defend that with both tooth and claw."

When the food is eventually served, he rises, letting the pair eat. He had seen a bit of a distressing sight. Little Roland was sitting in a table all by himself, food untouched and a frown on his face. It just wouldn't do. He sat besides the boy, making him jump in surprise.

"Killy." The boy greeted. "What-"

He gave the boy a gentle smile. "You seem distressed lad, anything I can help you with?"

He looked away. "My Papa is alive." He whimpered. _So Robin was right. Bloody hell, he'd completely ignored his request._ "I was so happy, but Mama Gina makes me happy too, but they don't like each other. They got so mad, I don't think they know how to share." Killian suppressed his chuckling. The boy had the issue pegged.

"They love you Roland." Killian began. "They just don't know each other very well, once they do, they'll be better at sharing." He said, hoping it was true.

"Papa told me when he found me that he wanted to take me home, to our old home, but he told me Mama was gone. I don't want to leave Mama Gina." The boy admitted. "I hope they hurry up and get to know each other."

Killian nodded in agreement, looking around for an idea of how to distract him. He noticed a few of the Merry Men engaged in a game of poker. "Wait here a moment." He told him, going over and procuring a deck of cards." He returned to the wide eyed boy, sitting across from him at the circular table. "Ever played cards?" He asked. The boy shook his head.

"Papa does." He noted. Killian smirked, showing him how one of the simpler games worked, something that wouldn't get him an arrow in the eye when Regina found out.

"What's this game called?" Roland asked once he'd finished his explanation and he'd dealt them out a game.

"Go fish." Roland giggled loudly at the name.

"What the hell pirate?" Regina demanded storming up to them, Robin at her heels, just as the little lad was about to take his pair of queens. "Teaching _my_ son poker? He's six!" He grinned softly.

"Regina, he's not your-" Robin corrected bitterly.

But Roland interrupted.

"We're not playing poker Mama Gina!" He said. "We're playing Go Fish!"

He noticed Robin wince at his words for the thief. He could see clearly what Roland was talking about. "How about we restart and we all play?" Killian tried, looking towards Roland and to his parents. "Nothing like a friendly game of cards to get to know each other better? Eh?"

Regina rolled her eyes. "Typical for a pirate to want to play cards I bet you cheat too." She snapped angrily. Killian flinched in surprise at her sudden anger towards him.

"Only at dice milady." He replied evenly. "So should I re-deal or are you going to allow Roland here to whip the floor with me?" It caused Roland to giggle.

"You still have a chance!" He said simply. "You only have to get three more piles!"

Robin took the seat on Roland's right. "I don't see what harm a few games of cards can do right _son_?" Roland looked towards Regina expectantly.

This is not going to end well. Killian realized, seeing the challenge in the man's eyes, countering her possessive statement with his own.

"Fine barkeep." Regina stated, sitting across from him. "Lets see what you got."

And in Killian's experience, it was the most aggressive and most competitive game of Go Fish he'd ever had the displeasure of participating in. It was mere moves before both he and the little lad were out of cards and the other two were asking—no demanding—cards from each other.

Roland gave him a pleading look, practically on the verge of tears from watching this. Killian gaze them a dirty look.

 _"I_ know _you have a king Tavern worker."_

 _"Are you accusing me of lying Bandit?_

 _"Hell yeah I am."_

Neither noticed, nor did they notice him slipping away with Roland, somewhere out of sight. "See? They're so mean to each other. They ruined the game with their meanness!" He exclaimed, tears building.

"I know lad, I know." He said trying to comfort the boy, whipping away his tears. "It'll get better, I promise. They love you so much and they're just scared." The boy sighed, head in his arms.

"Why are they scared? I love them both. Papa, he's my papa." He reasoned. "And Mama Gina has been my Mama since I got lost. I love her too."

He sighed, unable to give the lad an answer. "I wish I could say something that would make everything alright. I wish I could tell you that one day you'll wake up and everything will be easy, but it won't be. Those two stubborn…" He paused for an appropriate word. "silly people will see that you need them both and it'll be a slow process before everything is alright." He explained. "Maybe talking to them, telling them both how you feel could help? From the look of it, if you told them you wanted the world I bet they would stop at nothing to hand it to you."

Roland hesitated.

"Could you come with me?" He asked in a small voice. "Please Killy?"

Killian smiled, standing up once again. He felt like sleeping for a month, but he couldn't say no to those little sad dimples.

"Of course lad."

* * *

Next chapter is the last one, and then the epilogue! I'm actually really excited to finish this. I wouldn't be this far without all of the wonderful support, so thank you.

These last few chapters are mainly for set up for the next story so I hope you enjoy.

It was so much longer than Freeing the Witch, so it has me pretty excited. I will post a bunch of chapters to Love of All Kinds, that's the only story where I take suggestions, so if there are any characters, situations, etc. that have you curious, let me know and I will see how I can fit that in.

Now Guest Reviews:

Anna: I'm glad you liked the reunion, it was so enjoyable to write. Emma's evolution is progressing nicely and she will continue to do so. I'm glad it's coming out well.

andria: I had the Robin and Roland reunion off screen, I felt the reunion would be more special without anyone watching. As you can also see, Regina and Robin aren't exactly thrilled to be co-parents. I love throwbacks. As for the whole Marian mess, I go a little bit more in depth with it with Emma, so hopefully that will make things a bit better next chapter.

Don't forget to review!

~Luna


	27. Chapter 27

Chapter 27

Dead to the World

He looked worn down. That was the first thing that she realized when the quiet moment had passed. His normally tanned skin was pale, he looked like he hadn't slept in weeks rather than the one week she'd been gone, his eyes drifted closed a few times, as if standing here without something to focus on made his body realize how exhausted he was.

Emma couldn't help but bring her hand to his face again.

 _Are you in pain?_

 _What can I do?_

 _You need to rest._

But she didn't say a thing. He did instead. "I should go see if Gina needs any help." He said softly, Emma nodded with a smile. He was so kind, always putting others before himself, even when it looked like he was about to drop from the strain of all of this.

"I'll go take care of the fire before those fools hurt themselves." She said looking over at the fools dumping water on the inferno. Neither of them moved, she didn't want to move, she just wanted to hold him, to let him rest, to let him feel safe.

"Killian. I'm going to fix this, I have a plan." Emma admitted. "Don't give up hope yet ok?" she asked. His smile was weak, and his lack of reply worried her.

But he pulled away and she knew the conversation was done. They had work to do after all.

With a spring in her step, Emma walked past the frantic outlaws, and with a snap of her fingers the fire died out. Lily was right, the fire wasn't normal, but it was nothing in comparison to her magic. Once that was done, Emma returned the camp to how she last remembered it.

(She did get some of the things wrong, but she openly asked for them to correct her.)

Her first instinct once she was done was to return to Killian, but she knew she couldn't. There were other things she needed to deal with. Things like Sydney and Marian. She looks around, finding the nervous thief staring at the red hearts in his hands nervously.

"Looks like you did a good job holding onto those." She jests, making the man, Will, jump in fright.

"Dark One." He says, holding out the hearts, turning his head away like she expected her to take his as well. She giggled, taking the hearts from his grip.

"I'm not going to hurt you, you know." She jests with a wink. "Unless you deserve it." His eyes went wide in fear. "Tell me, have you done anything that warrants me getting angry? I hear a lot of you were in on the plan to scare the sisters and _my_ Killian into this marriage trap." The man shakes his head profusely.

"No milady Dark One." The man stampers. "It-It was just Sydney." He insists. "We all love Zelena and Gina, we just went along with it because he said it was for the best." Emma rolled her eyes at the mob mentality proving its effectiveness once again.

"I believe you." She said with a mock disappointed sigh, patting the thief on the head like a good pet. It made him flinch.

"You've done me a favor Will, thank you." She says with a smirk. "I don't forget those who do me favor." Will's eyes grew at her words, flickering between fear and wonder. She had a feeling he was debating whether being remembered by the Dark One was a good or bad thing.

Once done teasing the thief, she headed in the direction the Merry Men were keeping the prisoners. Apparently they rather liked tying prisoners to trees. She sees Marian first, and despite her desire to crush her heart, returns it sharply, making her gasp in pain.

"Take it as a sign of mercy." Emma sneers. "No one died in the fire. Killian is alright." Marian smirks.

"A temporary condition." She reasons. "My mistress agrees that allowing you to watch him die is much more effective in her goal." Emma glares at her, wanting to elaborate, but she sees Robin coming up behind Marian, fury obvious in his gaze. Considering that this man was apparently the temptress's Ex-husband, she figured she'd watch for a moment, see what had him so riled up. There was no one who knew you better than your love.

"Is he him?" The man demanded, stepping in front of her, either oblivious to Emma's existence or uncaring. "Our son. Is he alive? Was he here the whole time?" Marian's sneer faltered for the first time since Emma saw the brunette.

"Yes." She replied. "Roland is here." She could hear the man's sharp intake of breath.

"Roland is alive." The man whispered, like someone who was playing with an idea in his head, trying to wrap his head around it. Knowing the pain of a lost child, even for a moment, she empathized with him. "How could you not tell me? How could you wear a liar's face and not tell me he was alive!" He roared, gripping the collar of her shirt rather than her arm. He pulls away, clenching and unclenching his fists in his hands. Marian's face is stoic.

"I watched you leave, in the midst of my grief for our son, I watched you join her, that charmer Lacey." He starts. Emma knows a beginning of a rant when she sees one. "I thought it was because of grief. I thought she manipulated your grief, gave you something to fill the void because lord knows we couldn't do that with each other." He says bitterly. "I've watch you hurt people Mar, _hurt me_." She sees Marian attempt to defend herself, but she stops. "Don't tell me that you stayed in _our_ village because you like the atmosphere, you constantly rubbed your new life, new power in my face. I thought it was because you secretly blamed me for his death. I thought I _deserved_ it."

She sees nothing in Marian. Absolutely nothing, her former love was baring his soul and she was nothing. Emma wanted to slap her. Emma didn't even know this man, apart from his moment of warning her of danger to Killian, but she truly felt for the guy.

"But I never thought you were capable of _this."_ He states. "Hiding from Roland, not telling him that his family was alive and missed him. I'm going to get back my son, and when he asks me about you-" His voice breaking. "I will tell him the truth, that his mother is dead." He moves to leave.

"Why do you think I agreed to this?" She snaps angrily. "To be the forest den other to these idiots? Because I liked the smell of forest?" She said with disgust. "So I could see our son, get him back one day." She shakes her head, looking him dead in the eye. "But I realized the truth. I was never supposed to be a mother. The moment I saw him, I wished it wasn't true. I wished he was dead."

Emma thought she was going to be _sick._ Emma didn't know Roland very much, but he adored Killian and Killian returned the feeling. This woman did not deserve him. Robin didn't reply, looking pale with a horror stricken face and just ran from the clearing.

Emma couldn't blame him. She'd storm off too if the maid didn't have answers Emma desperately wanted. Marian looks at her dead in the eye, sneer back in place.

"What's wrong Dark One? Can't stomach someone with _real_ power?" She taunts. Emma laughs.

She creates dark fire in her hand. " _This_ is _real_ power." She explains, edging closer so the brunette could feel its heat. "What you did, what you are is cowardice."

Marian disagrees. "You've gotten soft Dark One, you have all these precious things, precious people. It makes you vulnerable." She smirks. "Just look what happen when you lost your precious _Killian."_ Emma hates the way his name flickered off her tongue. She wanted to remove her tongue to keep her from ever saying it again.

"I thought it was too funny to watch you cry." Cry? The only ones who had seen her were-"

 _Aurora._

"You were her?" She demands. "Aurora." Marian smirks proudly.

"Don't worry, the sleepy princess is in a better place." She taunts. Emma feels her body acting against her will, hand choking the life from her.

"She was Lily's sister!" She roars. "She was family, despite being an irritating crybaby."

Marian's laughter beings her back to the present.

"See? Weakness. Your love for the Dragon pixie and her family makes you vulnerable. Your love for the sailor makes you even worse than my sniveling ex-husband. He could never see past his grief to see how the world really worked." Emma clenched her jaw for a moment, then she eased into a grin.

"Weakness? I thought my love for another child of True Love was to be you mistress's undoing?" She teased. "Isn't that why you've hurt me so?"

Marian seemed distressed by this. "How did you find out?" She snapped. Emma laughed.

"I'm the bloody Dark One _dearie_ , testing fate is what _I do_." She taunted. "I don't care about her prophecy, I wouldn't have cared about her plans, that is, until she hurt Killian, until-" She cut off, knowing her next words couldn't be spoken.

 _Until you hurt my parents. Until you forced them to be people they weren't. Until you took away my childhood._

"Until you made your intentions known with this silly parlor trick" She said instead. "Now she's made an enemy of me. I'd say to pass along the message, but I'm not letting you go so easily." Emma stated matter-of-factly.

"Fate wouldn't have cared." Marian said. "It was my fate to lose my son, just as it was your fate to be put in her path. This way she has the advantage, she knows you too well."

Emma met her gaze. "And who is she?" Marian shook her head.

"I cannot and will not say." She says, head held high.

"I can make you." Emma warns, and after her display of terrible mothering, she would have no guilt resorting to some colorful means to do so. She tightens her grip on the woman's throat to prove her point.

"There's that Darkness I've heard so much about. You can't make me actually. She charmed me so that even with my heart, I can never betray her." Marian laughed. It irritated her that "Kill me. I know you want to, prove to me that you aren't as _weak_ as you appear to be, that the Dark One hasn't truly seen the light."

Emma really, really wanted to kill her, crush her windpipe, make her bleed, skin her roast her, she wanted to do it all.

Emma stepped away from her, watching her gasp at the return of her breath.

"I'll let the people here who you've hurt decide your fate. But I will do this." Emma raised her hand, coating the woman in blue light. She looked down at herself, and then at her.

"What did you do?!" She demanded.

Emma kept her expression neutral. "I granted your wish." She replied. "I've seen too many children get hurt by their parents, and I aim to stop the cycle here and now. You will never again be seen, heard or felt by your son and vice versa. You will truly be dead to him." She declared. "Goodbye Marian."

She heard her shouts of complaint, of anger, but Emma didn't care. She proved she didn't care for her son, and this way, Roland couldn't accidentally sneak a peek at his mother in chains (or this case ropes) he had a mother in Regina and that was all that mattered.

It took a moment to compose herself, because that had taken so much out of her. Emma couldn't imagine such darkness in a person; it crossed even the lines she'd drawn when she'd first embraced the darkness. She hoped Henry never saw her like that.

"Emma?" a voice called a hand on her shoulder. "Are you alright? You're shimmering." Emma nodded, taking a breath and turns back to her friend.

"Marian is terrible, she did this because of a prophecy." She admitted. Lily raised a brow, arms crossed. Emma sighed and told her everything she'd learned from her parents, especially about the prophecy.

"Oh Emma." Lily sighed. "That's pretty intense, but you know what it means right?" She asked. "If your taking her interpretation of the curse, than it means you'll have another child, one you can raise." She says hopefully. "Or maybe it's Henry."

Emma shook her head. "Neal was nether a Dark One, or a child of True Love." She explained. Lily nodded. "But what about Killian? Its not like he'd have magic if he-" Emma shook her head again.

"He isn't." She said firmly.

"Well prophecies are weird, they can mean different things than you first expect them to. Maybe it's out of context. Regardless of what it means, I know that you will be ok; you're no stranger to cryptic visions. Everything will be alright." She promised. Emma grinned.

"You're really good at that Lily." Emma said softly.

"What? Analyzing the various personalities of Emma Swan?" She joked.

"Giving me hope." Lily slung her arm around her shoulder.

"What are best friends for?" She laughed. "Now go take care of him." She said, nodding towards a tree Killian was leaning against, eyes firmly closed. Emma nodded, approaching him slowly. His head was bobbing slightly. She watched him briefly, hand on his shoulder. She wonders again what was going on in his head.

"Killian?" Emma asks, a hand on his shoulder, trailing towards his neck. He stirs, like she'd risen him from a light sleep. His eyes took a sec to focus on her before he grinned. But it was forced, plain as day. "Are you alright?" She asked.

He nods. "Never better love." He insists, but Emma doesn't believe him for a second.

"I don't need a super power to know you're not." She says softly, wrapping herself around him, allowing him to lean into her.

"I know." He says sadly, desperately even. "Just a little tired." He explained. "I'll be-" His breathing breaks for a moment, she can see him thinking, trying to find something to say, to comfort her. "It'll be ok." He says instead. She wants to scream because she knows what he means.

"We're going to fix this." She tells him firmly.

 _I'm ready to fight._

"I have a way there, a magical branch that can open a portal, we just need a way to guide it…I will get you there. I _will_ save you." She tells him, both of them, because the more she says it, the more certain it will be.

His forehead drops to hers, touching it with eyes closed. He breathed in slowly and for a moment Emma thought he would fall asleep again, she knows she'd gladly stay like this forever.

"We keep losing and finding each other." She tells him in a whisper. "No more. We're sticking together now alright? I'm going to get us our future, alright? You just have to have faith."

He shook his head.

"I don't have any left." He admits, as if the words he'd been trying to keep silent comes to the surface, but she just didn't understand. Emma was the one who gave up, who would curl up into her darkness, into her shriveled heart. Killian was light, he had faith in people, he fought even when he couldn't. He wouldn't- "Fifteen years of searching, false hope after false hope. I couldn't find even a clue." He says. "And that was before I realized I was dying." He explained. "Magic beans, slippers, curses _, none of it worked_." His voice broke.

Her heart broke, because he looked like he was in the verge of shattering and she didn't want that. She didn't want to hurt him, not like she'd already done. His hand lifted to her face, wiping away a trailed tear she hadn't even noticed. "No tears Swan. I've accepted it, my fate. I'll be happy as long as you have a future, find your happy ending Swan." He urged.

She wanted to laugh at that, the absurdity of it all. It was like a freaking tragedy book.

"Don't you know?" She said in an equally as shaking voice, because after everything he had to know by now. "It's you." She admitted, hands wrapping around his neck. "It's ok. It will be ok, because I'm ready now." She said confidently. "I'll never stop fighting for our future." She'd have the faith for both of them.

"If I find a way, will you be ok with that?" She asks. "Will you let me help you?"

He nods. "Always Swan." He agrees pressing his face to her neck and she can just hear his words, so low, she thought she'd imagined them for a moment. "You're my happy ending too."

It was enough.

And to make the moment perfect, Emma heard music. It wasn't as elegant as the ball, nor as practiced as in the village, but it was music. It meant life was going on. It meant they got a quiet moment.

"Dance with me?" She blurted out. "We were happy the last time we danced." Emma remembered. They were so happy.

He smirked and Emma couldn't help but tease him a bit. "And perhaps we can have a repeat of what else we did after we danced he teased, taking her hand, and placing the other on her hip." She said in a whisper. She saw his grin widening.

"Sure love, you remember how to do this right Swan?" He teased.

"Yup." she assured him. And then she kissed him. And then they danced.

XXXXXXXX

Emma pretends not to notice how she has to do the leading this time, or how his usual graceful steps are sluggish and choppy. How two songs in, she had to lead him to a seat at a table the Merry Men were preparing. Killian's wedding banquet apparently.

Lily decided to give them both a piece of her mind about communication and that she had every intention to stick with them as they saw this through and Emma was grateful for that. She'd been surprised by how Lily seemed to instantly decide to take care of her pirate when she was hurt.

(Emma blamed the mother in her)

Zelena was sitting at the head of the table, looking much better, saying that they might as well enjoy it, since she was never getting married.

"I thought you had to?" Lily piped up.

Zelena rolled her eyes. "To appease these misogynist pigs? No thank you." She said with a hearty chuckle, lifting her fork. "I challenge any of you men who think I need one of you at my side to run this kingdom."

Emma smirked at her boldness.

"Good." She said simply. "So, when do you plan to make your run at my crown?" She asked. Emma had no intention of ever being Queen but Emma was curious about Zelena too. The red head met her gaze evenly.

"Once I recover." She said simply. "I've had enough of your mother's tyranny." She challenged. "And I don't know if you'd be any better Dark One."

Emma nodded. "I have no intention to be ruler. I just want to live in peace." She assured her. "But despite my reputation I do care about this kingdom, my birthright." She continued. "So I'd like to offer you a deal." Emma could tell Zelena was interested but she remained silent.

"Hold off on your invasion, or attack or whatever your plan is. Just until I get back from my trip; a couple weeks is all I ask." Emma wanted time to get to whoever had her mother's heart, give her a chance to _finally_ rule this place how she wanted to. Emma knew that a heart can control a lot about a person, but bits of the real person showed beneath it all. Emma wanted desperately to see just how much of the evil was her mother and how much was-

"Why?" She asked. Emma bit her lip, picking her words.

"I need to know the truth about something, and I cannot do that if there is a war." She explained. "If I'm right, than I plan to do something that can fix everything, if I'm not, than I will support you, either way, the people will get a just ruler." She explained.

"Then why wait?" Zelena asked. "If you know something that changes things, then act on it now!" She insisted. "What can be more important than your people?" She demanded.

Emma glanced at Killian sitting playing cards with Roland with a goofy grin.

"My family of course." She replied. "Love trumps responsibility every time."

The woman thought for a moment, something deep and painful flickering across her face, before nodding. "Yes, that's how it should be." Zelena said in a faded voice. "Alright Dark One, we have a deal."

Emma smiled, digging into her meal, noticing Killian had left his plate untouched.

"Kill-" She tried, calling, looking around. But Lily shook her head.

"He went over there." Lily pointed. Emma saw him escaping out of sight with Roland. She looked for the kids parents and saw them…arguing, holding cards in a tense battle of wills. Regina's expression was something akin to a snarl, and Robin was red faced and furious. "I wonder what's the matter with those two." Lily said aloud.

Emma snickered, lowering her voice.

"They just learned that they share a son." Lily's brow raised in curiosity.

"Robin is Roland's real dad, he just found him. But Regina loves him and he her." She clarified. Lily snickered, taking a sip of her cup.

"Now that's hell." She snickered. "Its one thing sharing a kid with someone you know." She met Emma's gaze. "But a stranger? Both wanting to be Roland's parent. Now that's going to be an adjustment." Emma nodded in agreement, leaning back in her seat.

Everything seems ok, and Emma lets herself breathe for a moment, to enjoy the sort of peace they'd found themselves in.

So it wasn't too surprising that things went to hell in that same moment.

Emma saw Roland's small body running back to her parent, jumping up and down, pulling at Regina's sleeve.

Even over the sound of the talking, of the music, of everything, she can still hear the child's panicked words. She saw Lily stand beside her.

"Mama! It's Killy! Mama come! Come!" Emma stood, exchanging a look with Regina as they all followed Roland.

Emma gasped, seeing Killian faced down on the ground.

"Killian!" She shouted, surging forward. She flipped him over, cradling his body above her own, she watched his slow breathing and low groans. "What happened?" She demanded.

"He was coming with me to talk to Mama Gina and Papa, but then he got really dizzy and he hit his head on a tree branch." Roland explained. Emma could see the bump on his forehead; she eased it with a touch, pulling him closer until his head was on her shoulder.

"S'rry sw'n." Killian slurred, turning his face into her neck.

"Shhh. It's ok. Its ok, I got you." She said, looking up, Regina was holding Roland's hand and Lily was running her hand up and down Killian's arm and side.

 _Please don't leave me._ She silently begged him. They needed more time, she'd wasted his second chance being insecure, and she begged it wouldn't cost him his life, begged and begged whoever, whatever, was out there.

"It's just exhaustion." Lily replied in relief. "Emma, did you hear me? He just needs rest. He needs some proper rest, he must not be sleeping enough." Regina nodded in agreement.

"Not sleeping, not eating, his hangover, hauling my sister out of a fire, I'm surprised he didn't drop sooner." The bandit listed.

Emma felt his breathing evening out, if he was conscious, it was just barely. "We have time. We have a bit more time. He just needs to rest."

"Ok. Lily, go get Henry." Emma ordered, pulling her magic to the surface, trying to imagine where she wanted to go. Lily nodded, she turned towards Regina.

"I'll ask my mother to come and help you here." Lily said, "I don't want her to be alone while I'm gone." Regina nodded thankfully before exiting the area. Regina turned towards Emma as the blonde pressed her cheek into the top of Killian's hair.

"I take it you're going somewhere too?" Regina asked. Emma nodded.

"He needs to get to Neverland." She explained. "I know you've been looking out for him while I was being an idiot." She reasoned. Regina nodded in agreement.

"Time to look out for yourself pirate, we have some things to discuss when you're not dropped dead." Regina said simply, earning a chuckled from Killian and a glare from Emma for her lack of tack in this situation.

"Bye Killy!" Roland said swiftly, moving towards them before Regina could stop him and kissed 'Killy' on his forehead. "Feel better." She felt Killian smirk, but his eyes didn't open.

"Be good to your parents lad, you will remember what I told you?" He whispered as Roland nodded retreated back to his mother.

"Where are you going?" Regina asked. "I doubt you can just poof to Neverland." She droned.

Emma smiled, looking down at Killian, kissing his head.

"I'm taking him home."

* * *

Day one of plotting this out, I wanted this to be how it ended. Lots of set up for things to come.

I hope Marian made a bit more sense. As well as the reasoning for Robin and Regina not to get along (for now).

Guest Reviews:

andria: It's going to be quite the adventure, I'll tell you that much.

Anna: Robin and Regina did like each other, but liking each other is a far cry from ready to share a kid together. Emma's going to continue to be very determined to save Killian, as for Snowing, they won't be tagging along to Neverland so they won't be in a majority of the sequel, but they will be mentioned a quite a bit. Thank you so much for your words of support, and praise, it really means a lot to me.

Stay tuned for the Epilogue.

~Luna


	28. Epilogue

**Its always wonderful to see that beautiful 'Completed' sign at the top of a project like this.**

Epilogue

Forever a Lost boy

Killian remembers his reunion with Swan, he remembers the Merry Men celebrating his non-wedding to the impostor Marian. He remembers speaking to a distressed Roland after his life was turned upside down. He remembers Emma holding him after he fell, it felt like he was safe for the first time in a week. A simple week without her had nearly killed him.

Killian felt her swirl her magic around them and he let go.

He slept. Killian slept then and there. It felt amazing.

He blinked his eyes open again. What he couldn't remember was where Swan said she was taking them. He felt the familiar rocking, heard the familiar sound of waves lapping against the wooden hull, smelled the familiar salty scent. The truth brought a smile to his face because Swan knows him so well.

"The Jolly Roger." He stated plainly. Emma must have taken them back to his ship. He looked around, noticing Emma had redecorated a tad, Smee's things were gone, replaced with a shelf and a desk filled with books and his maps. His collection of maps was no longer hidden bellow, but here in _the Captain's Quarters_.

His quarters. He was the captain.

Killian struggled out of the bed, not feeling perfect, but felt better than he had in days. He changed out of his nightly attire, something he assumed to have been Swan's doing, and back into his usual pirate leathers. It was much better than the clothes available at the camp. He felt safe, he felt at home.

Slowly, he exited the cabin in search of his Swan.

The first thing he ran into was Lily, leaning over the side, face green as she clutched the wood, her nails making unusual marks.

"First time on a ship?" He asked, surprising her. She turned towards him, smiling weakly." You're awake." She greeted. "How're you feeling? Light headed? Trouble breathing?" He shook his head.

"I'm fine, just looking for Swan." He replied. "If you're feeling ill, keep your eyes on the horizon, it'll pass in a few-" The brunette pointed towards the hull.

"You better give her a hand." She snapped, "I'm only sick because someone has been taking us in circles for hours!" knowing something he obviously didn't.

Henry was the first to spot him bolting over to him. "I knew there was a perfectly good explanation for why everyone was acting weird. I knew it." He insisted. "Now on for Operation Hook." Henry said, gaining an echoed cheer from little Roland.

"Operation Hook?" He asked, glancing at a figure with blonde hair at the hull cursing under her breath at the helm of the ship.

"Saving you of course." Henry said with an eye roll. "You're a part of this family now, and Good Form means standing by your family."

Killian grinned. "You've been studying lad." He realized. The boy shrugged.

"Figured it'd be good to get ahead." He said casually. "But there is a bunch of stuff you left out, I know it. You have to keep your promise and teach me." Henry insisted.

Killian nodded. "Aye. I gave you my word didn't I?"

Henry grinned before his glance went towards Emma. "Go, she's getting real frustrated, if you don't help, one of my moms is going to throw a fireball at your boat." He laughed. "I'm betting on Lily."

Killian couldn't help chuckle. "Ship." He corrected. "The Jolly's a ship."

Henry snickered. "Just checking." The boy reasoned, running off in the direction of Lily. Killian made his way to her, to his beautiful blonde lass.

"How do I work this thing? Where do I turn it? Where's the freaking gas pedal?" She snarled at the wooden wheel.

Killian laughed at that. "She needs a certain touch Swan." He replied, coming up behind her, wrapping his arms around her to rest on the wheel just above her hands, adjusting it just so.

"Killian, you're awake." She said breathlessly, sighing into his embrace, he could feel her hair on his face, lips just shy of his neck. "You were so sick, I thought-" He shook his head, placing a kiss to the top of her golden hair.

"I'm ok Swan, nothing a little sea air can't fix." He assured her. "Where are we headed love?"

She smiled. "Neverland, but we need some things to get there, some people to help us find something to guide a portal to the right realm." She replied. "And maybe a map to land us to the right island."

Killian frowned. "I found a map that could've helped, but I'm afraid I lost it when your papa sent me for a swim." He replied. "It was probably destroyed, as for a way to guide a portal; I don't know what to tell you."

She nodded in agreement. "I know. That's why I may have called in some reinforcements." She said with a guilty expression.

He narrowed his eyes. "Swan? What did you-"

He felt the cold before he saw her. It practically hit him in the face.

She tapped his shoulder with a frozen finger.

Killian whirled around.

"Hey sailor." She taunted, icy blue eyes narrowed, blonde hair in a braid on her shoulder, her sparkly blue dress twirling in the wind. "Miss me?" She laughed.

He chuckled, releasing his grip on Swan, he rolled his eyes.

"Of course Elsa." He replied. "Pleasure as always."

XXX

He feels the poison, feels it receding, making its way from his shoulder down till it's just lurking around the dark purple scar in his arm. He watches the veins like a count down. He knows that once the poison vanishes, that Killian Jones will be dead and he will be free.

But the veins had nearly disappeared once already, disappeared before reclaiming their position along his arm the size of his palm. Its at that instance that he knows.

He knows that Killian Jones is no longer waiting around clueless, to die.

He knows that Killian Jones is fighting his fate. He's fighting it with a powerful ally.

He knows that Killian Jones is on his way here to the island of the Lost Ones.

He's returning to Neverland after fifteen years.

"He's coming." He says with a sigh. He can hear the figure behind him, making noises, the familiar noises of the opening of a coconut.

"You thought he might." His companion replied. "You thought he'd find his way back here."

He nodded. But suspecting and knowing were two vastly different things.

"It's going to be war Liam." His companion adds. He knows. The moment his baby brother returns, everything will change.

"Then we just have to be ready Peter, because when the Jolly Rodger reaches these shores, there will be hell to pay."

 **The End**

 **Coming Soon:**

 **(Hopefully a few weeks)**

 **The Lost Ones:** Once upon a time, there was a Captain and a Lieutenant, off on a mission from a corrupt king, leaving one broken and the other dead, a defining moment for the fearsome future pirate Captain. But this is not that time, nor that place. This is the time of a pirate captain and his little brother, a betrayal hidden by magic, but perhaps, like all stories, there is more to this tale than meets the eye. The Dark Swan will need to learn it if she is to have a chance at hearing those three sacred words from her once cowardly deckhand.

 **Teaser:**

He stopped breathing. Emma could feel it, the moment it happened. She knew it because it was the moment she stopped breathing too.

They were so close, landing on the Neverland shores, she thought as soon as they made it, he'd get better. She thought everything would work out. "Please Killian. Please." Se begged, his body was still on top of hers as she held him tight, begging him just to wake up, to breathe, she needed him to. "Don't leave me." She sobbed into his neck. "I don't know what to do."

 _Killian Jones was dead._

Her sobs got louder.

 _She failed._

It was then that she heard something.

* * *

Two teasers in a row end up with Killian dead, but he's just so fun to kill! I'm so happy to finish this! It's been a long story, and one that was so enjoyable to write, thank you so much for all the wonderful reviews, they have truly been a pleasure to read! This wouldn't have been possible without such lovely readers.

And Elsa has returned!

Guest Reviews:

andria: Regina and Robin are going to have an interesting journey ahead of them, I'd call it borderline slow burn. As for Killian, its certainly going to be a bumpy road.

Thank you so much for all your support, Love of all Kinds will be updated periodically until Lost Ones is ready to go.

Don't forget to Review!

~Lass Luna


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